Selected Twins
by shadeslayerprincess111
Summary: Way before Maxon and America, twin sisters Natalia and Nicole enter the upcoming Selection, never expecting to get chosen. What they never expected was that both of them would get picked. They have to compete with 33 other girls to win the Prince's love, and only one out of the 35 can win! syoc closed! See profile for list!
1. Form and Nicole's Intro

Nicole was glad to stay home today. It was chilly and rainy and the perfect day to stay home. She wished she still could, but now that her sister Eva was old enough to babysit her other sister Lea, she had been working at the clothing factory with her mother for almost a year. But Eva had come down with a bad cold, so Nicole was allowed to stay home, at least for today, to watch Lea. She was curled up on the couch in the front room, a blanket draped over her legs. Eva was watching TV and Lea was happily playing on the floor. Nicole watched the rain streak down the window of their apartment. She loved the rain. She smiled and went back to reading. She had just finished preparing dinner, and the chicken pot pie was baking now.

Today had been perfect. No sewing on the scary machines and the endless maddening clatter of the factory. Just the cozy apartment, and spending time with her sisters. And, of course, she had finally had time to dance. When Eva had decided to take a nap, Lea had too, giving Nicole time to sneak into her and Nat's room and slip into her pointe shoes. Only Nat knew about this, but being her identical twin, she was entitled to know, of course. Nicole had always been a dancer. Even when she was little. She begged and begged her parents to go to the ballet whenever a company came to Kent, but, being poor Fours, they never had enough money. Only Twos and Threes could afford that luxury. So, when she was twelve, Nicole snuck in. She found a small place in an abandoned loft that had once been used for lighting, but the floors had been too old and creaky, so a new one was built. It was just to the right of the stage, the best seat. All she had to do was sneak into the back door that led out into the alley and go up the stairs through a door. It was the first door in the hallway, so it was perfect.

Then, whenever a ballet company was preforming in the theater downtown, Nicole would sneak into her loft and record their training on her old camera. She would practice at night in her room. She'd been doing it for five years. She secretly bought books to further her training, using the money she had made mending for whoever hired her in their apartment building. Of course, now that she worked, she no longer had time to do that. Nicole had never had enough money to buy pointe shoes, so she'd stolen them out of the dressing rooms. Anything else could be done in bare feet.

But she dared not tell her dad. If he found out…well, he would put an immediate stop to it. It wasn't that he was mean, he just wanted his kids to work hard and make enough money to live comfortably, even as Fours. Ballerinas were Twos, but Nicole was a Four. She was stuck. She glanced at the clock. The rest of her family should be coming home soon-Dad, Jason, and Nat from the farm, and Mom from the factory. She quickly reconsidered Nat. Her twin would probably want to spend Friday night with her boyfriend, Ben. A knock at the door interrupted her musings. She quickly got to her feet, and smoothed a hand over her dark curls. If it was someone from her family, they would just unlock the door. She hurried to the door, and opened it.

"Hi, Nic!" Her second best friend-besides Nat, of course-Chris Johansson stood outside, getting soaked by the downpour. Unfortunately, they lived on the outside part of the apartment building, facing the street. N stair access was inside, instead, the hallway was outside, like a hotel, and uncovered.

"Chris, come in, you'll get soaked!" She said, ushering him in. "How did you know I'd be here?" Nicole said. Chris shook the droplets from his blonde hair, and laughed.

"Oh, easy. I smelled your cooking and knew it was you." He grinned at her.

"My parents should be home soon, unless the rain held them up. I'm sure you can stay for dinner." Nicole said.

"I wish I could, but I promised Marjorie I'd take her out. I just wanted to return the book you gave me." Chris said.

"Oh, did you like it?" Nicole asked excitedly, hoping Chris would stay a while longer. He had been going out with Marjorie for less than a month, and now Nicole hardly ever saw him.

"Yeah, it was fantastic." Chris said, checking his watch. Nicole tried not to frown.

"Do you want to borrow another one?" She asked.

"I want to, but I really have to get going." Chris said. "Sorry, Nicole, Marjorie doesn't like it when I'm late."

"Oh, of course, silly me. I'm sorry." Nicole tried to laugh it off, but it still hurt.

"I'll see you later, okay?" Chris started to make his exit.

"Bye, Chris." Nicole said, closing the door behind him as he left. She sighed. She hoped Ben treated Nat the way she knew Chris would treat Marjorie. Why was it that everyone was in love but her?

…

**(Prepare yourself for a ridiculously long but important authors note!)**

**Finally! I've been wanting to do that all summer, but I made myself promise I would only work on two stories at a time. Well, I'm almost done with my story on FictionPress (The Hunt, check it out!) and I only have one chapter to go! I'm still going to be writing my H2O story, too, so if you read that, don't worry! But I'll go ahead and start this! It's an SYOC (Submit Your Own/Original Character) about an upcoming Selection. Both Nicole and her twin Natalia are going to be contenders, but someone else might win entirely. I don't know yet! So I'll need 33 girls! I probably will choose four or five of my favorite characters and write from their POV too, but in third person. I'm not sure if I'll write from the prince's POV…I still need to create him….**

**Rules:**

**-PM characters only, unless you're a guest**

**-You cannot submit a character to me that's in another Selection syoc. (And I read all of them, so I'll know. At least change the name!)**

_**-Be detailed and creative! (**_**If your character lacks details or uniqueness, they'll be the first to go. On the other hand, I don't want Mary-Sues, so learn the difference. No super powers or anything like that, no different colored eyes or crazy hair colors or ridiculous names.)**

**Also, there are a few sections where you can use pictures. You have to post them on your profile, or it won't work, but tell me if you are! There's also a list of caste and corresponding job ideas initially done by **Funny Owls **I adapted. You can make up stuff though! I also included italics in the form for ideas and help. You don't have to answer everything in italics, they're just ideas!**

**Note: There's a list of provinces and the corresponding girl and a clean copy and paste-able form on my profile. Also, this is before the actual books. And Kent is taken as a province, as is Yukon (You'll see why later). **

SYOC FORM:

Name: _(a good rule of thumb is to make sure it's easy to spell)_

Nickname, if any:

Age (15-19):

Province: (_check the list on my profile!) _

Caste: (_I included a list of castes and corresponding jobs below, but you're not limited to that) _

Occupation: (_See above!) _

Appearance: (_Specifically hair color and description, eye color, skin tone, general height/weight. Some makeover ideas would be awesome, as would pre-Selection clothes! You can post a link to a picture on your profile, but make them age appropriate if their celebrities) _

Personality: (_BE DESCRIPTIVE! ideas-good and bad traits, fears, likes, dislikes, drives, motives, ambitions, how they would react to certain situations, why they are like this etc. You can be somewhat stereotypical) _

Hobbies: 

Family: (_Names at the very minimum, but some personality and job description would be helpful. Not everyone has to have twin siblings)_

History/Background:

Previous Romantic History, if any: (_boyfriend, engaged, kissed, crushes, etc_.)

Describe what they would wear during the Selection: (_You can post as many links to pictures as you want on your profile! But let me know! Make sure you also write stuff too, of course! Include stuff like colors, styles, straps, even shoes and jewelry, even what they don't like (in writing)) _

Makeup and Hair: (_You can post as many links as you want on your profile! in addition, write a little about Pre Selection and Post-Selection, though) _

Where would they like their first date to be?: (_Just ideas!)_

Ambitions for the Selection: (_Why they applied, what they want-love, money, fame etc) _

**Optional**: Briefly describe their three maids: (_At least names) _

**Optional**: How do they treat their maids, other girls in the competition, royal family?: 

**Caste/occupations ideas: (you can make up your own) these can apply to their parents, and they can be in school or training. **

**Ones: **Royalty

**Twos: **Celebrities, including actors, singers, models, professional athletes and dancers, politicians, police, military, guards, fashion designers, movie directors.

**Threes: **Educators of any kind, scientists, writers, doctors, veterinarians, dentists, architects, engineers, lawyers, therapists, bankers, professional cooks and bakers, owners of large scale factories, farms, companies, etc.

**Fours: **Farm workers, factory workers of any kind, real estate agents, owners of shops, hotels, restaurants, managers of any kind, electricians, line cooks, small scale bakers.

**Fives: **Classically trained singers and musicians, artists, live theater actors

**Sixes: **Maids, secretaries, waiters, housekeepers, taxi drivers, store clerks, non- factory seamstresses and other workers, like carpenters, etc.

**Sevens: **Gardeners, construction workers, outdoor workers, burlesque dancers, unemployed

**Eights: **orphans, prostitutes, run-aways, addicts, any mentally or physically disabled, no matter who they live with

**Happy creating! **


	2. Races and Lies

**Yay, still waiting for submissions! Huge thanks **majestictales, RosemaryAlysse, WaffleManiac, and mnvbcxc-xx **for submitting, **majestictales, delovlies (**my own twin) for the follow! I decided, as illegal as it is, guests can submit, and I revamped my PMS rant in the form part of the last chapter, so hopefully less people are scared away. Submit away! **

**This introduces Nicole's twin, Natalia!**

…

Natalia inconspicuously brushed her hair from her eyes, and glanced down the barn's aisle. Ben caught her eye and winked at her. Nat bit her lip to keep from grinning, and went back to brushing her last horse.

"You about done, Nat?" Jason, her brother, aid, coming up behind her. "Dad's ready to go." He wiped his dirty hands on his equally dirty jeans. Rain was nice, if you were curled up inside under a blanket, but not if you had been working all day. Nat looked down at her own muddy jeans and sweatshirt. Mom wouldn't like that.

"Oh. Actually, I'm going out with Ben tonight." Nat said, as innocently as she could. It was only partly true, but she knew Dad would never consent if he knew what she was actually doing tonight.

"Am I supposed to tell him that?" Jason said.

"Well, you used to make me and Nic tell him when you were going out with that Six he totally disapproved off." Nat teased.

"Hey, Georgia was hot." Jason said, grinning. "Ben's not." He said jokingly.

"Whatever. Can you just tell him I'll be home before eight?" Nat said.

"Aw, sure. What are brothers for, anyway?" Jason said, turning to leave. "Don't have too much fun, kids. You know the rules."

"Yeah, you don't have to remind me." Nat called after him. She gave her horse a final pat and exited the stall, creeping outside. She watched from the cover of the dark eve of the barn as her dad pulled out of the parking lot, leaving it deserted, except for Ben's car. Actually, it was his and his brothers, but still. Nat dashed back into the barn.

"Everyone's gone." She said breathlessly, excitement building in her chest. This was going to be night she wouldn't soon forget. Ben stepped out of the stall he was in, fighting back a grin of his own.

"Go turn on the car and let it warm up." Ben said. "It's getting cold here." He tossed her the keys from his pocket. Nat quickly did as she was told, trying not to get wet. Still, by the time she had run back to the barn, she was soaked.

"Ready?" She asked Ben. He came out of the tack room, slinging his backpack over his shoulder.

"Yup." He said, handing her own bag. "We'll change when we get there. Are you nervous?" He said.

"Of course I'm nervous! I feel like I'm going to throw up. It happens every time."

"You've been doing it for almost two months." Ben said, draping his arm over her shoulder and pulling her close. "You'll get used to it." He dropped the tiniest kiss on her nose.

"Still, what if we get caught? We're Fours."

"We won't get caught." Ben reassured her. "If you don't want to, we don't have to."

"Are you kidding? Racing is…the best thing ever." Nat said. "C'mon, let's go." She and Ben dashed to his car, and quickly climbed in. Ben eased the car into drive, and exited the worker's parking lot. Nat pulled her knees up to her chest and let her mind drift. Ever since she was old enough, she had worked here, on this farm. She had started out cleaning stalls and such, then a groom, now an exercise rider. The owner, a wealthy Three, was hardly ever here, since his wife and daughter hated living on the upscale farm. They spent most of their time living in a posh house in the cities. But Nat loved it. Dad and her older brother Jason worked in the fields, planting and harvesting crops and tilling the fields and cutting hay, but she had always worked with the owner's prized Thoroughbreds. Unfortunately, as exercise rider didn't make much. So, when Ben told her how made extra money, Nat had jumped at the chance.

It was basically black market horse racing. Most jockeys were Sevens, unless they were born Twos and were good enough to be professional. Nat was a Four, but no one had to know that. She was small, and weighed less than male jockeys. Also, she was good. She couldn't ride without missing work except in stakes races, usually at night. Ben and his brothers had been doing it for two years, now, and helped her get hired in her first few races. But tonight was different. This wasn't so called 'black market' racing. This was the real deal. If she won in the two races she had been hired in, she would have way more than the twenty bucks she usually got.

She and Ben spent the rest of the trip in silence. They pulled into the parking lot of the track, and Ben pulled into a parking lot. Nat released a shaky breath. If she won just one race tonight, she would make a little over one hundred and fifty dollars. That was a lot of money, considering she barely made seventeen dollars for black market racing, and only was paid four dollars an hour on a daily basis. If she kept it up, Nicole wouldn't have to steal ballet shoes and maybe even go to the ballet next time a company performed in Kent. They would maybe even be able to afford a nicer apartment, and Jason could go back to school, and Nicole could stay home and tutor Lea and Eva.

"Hey, you'll be fine." Ben said gently, taking the keys from the ignition. "It's your first real race. It's no big deal if you lose."

"Yeah, it is. If I lose, I won't get hired to ride again. Plus I could get hurt."

"You'll be fine, trust me." Ben said, reaching for her hand and squeezing it.

"How many races are you riding in?" Nat said, trying to distract herself.

"Four. I'll be riding against you in your first. Speaking of which, we got to get going." Ben said, unlocking his door, and sliding out. Nat did the same on her side, grabbing her bag. She and Ben jogged through the parking lot, and into the barns.

"Where do we get changed?" Nat said. Real jockeys couldn't just wear jeans.

"I'll show you." Ben said, just as Nat noticed they passed the dressing rooms.

"We just passed the dressing rooms." She said.

"I know. I'll tell you in a second." Ben suddenly yanked her into a small hallway off the main barn aisle and stalls, and stopped in front of a small closet door. He jiggled the knob, and hefted his weight against it. Reluctantly, the door opened, and Ben pulled Nat inside behind him.

"What are you doing?" Nat said.

"Quick, get changed." Ben kicked off his muddy sneakers, and pulled his shirt over his head.

"Um, a little privacy would be nice." Nat said. Ben turned his back toward her.

"I won't look. But hurry, we don't have much time."

"Why can't we change in a dressing room or a bathroom like normal people?" Nat said, unzipping her bag and pulling out her white riding pants. She took off her shoes, and hesitantly unzipped her jeans and slipped out of them.

"We're Fours. Fours aren't jockeys. Sevens can be, and so can Twos, if they're pros."

"Well, I know that." Nat said, somewhat annoyed as she wadded up her sweatshirt and stuffed it in her bag. There was no way she was going to change bras here, though. She pulled on the thin, long-sleeved white turtle neck, one that Ben had given her that didn't fit him anymore. She would get her silks from the horse's owner later. She put her riding boots back on. They were muddy and worn out, but they would have to work.

"So, we can't change with the other jockeys, because we're illegal."

"What happens if you get caught?" Nat said, zipping her bag and scooping her curls into a ponytail.

"I don't know. But I know it ain't good, so we have to be careful. You ready?" Ben said, still keeping his back to her.

"Yeah." Nat twisted a hair tie around her ponytail.

"Just leave your bag here. Let's go."

…

Nat tried not to panic as the attendant led her mount into the starting gate. The big black gelding snorted, and flattened his ears.

"It's okay, big boy." Nat whispered to him. "You'll get to leave in a second. Just run away from it." Her shaking hands were gripping the reins so tight, her knuckles were white. She glanced down the row of horses, spotting Ben in blue and gray silks, contrasting her own black and white. He grinned at her, and gave her an indiscreet nod. She smiled back, and tensed her body, waiting for the bell and the opening of the gates. The gelding stopped fidgeting, and tensed under her. Suddenly, she faintly registered the gates opening, and the horse springing forward. She rose higher in the stirrups, barely crouching over the horse's withers. The animals around her bunched up in a clump, blocking her in. She gritted her teeth, and waited for a hole to open up. The horses sped around the first corner, still bunched together. She spotted Ben for a second, his horse surging up on the outside. But Nat was trapped against the rail.

"C'mon, boy!" She shouted, the wind snatching away her words. She shifted her weight, suspended above the horse. Ahead of her was a solid wall of other horses. She was stuck. The horses had nearly reached the second and last turn when one of the horses in front of her made its move and began eating up ground as it headed toward the front. As soon as the hole opened up, Nat made her move. She _thwacked _the horse twice on the rump with her crop, and shortened the reins, urging the horse forward. But it was too late. By the time she had gotten herself out of the hole, the horses were approaching the wire. She whipped her horse again, easing her hands up its neck. Flecks of foam coated the horse's neck, and she could tell he was running as hard as he could, but there was no way to catch the frontrunners-including Ben. She managed fifth place out of twelve. She wouldn't even make five bucks by the time she paid her tack fee. The second race wasn't much better. She went for the hole as soon as it opened, but it was too early and although she held first for the backstretch, the horse was worn out and they were passed before they could win. She took fourth, which wasn't much better.

…

By the time Ben dropped her off, it was almost nine, so Nat knew she was in trouble. She smelled of horse, even though she had changed into a clean pair of jeans and black flannel button down so her parents would think that she had indeed been on a date, and not doing something well below her caste. She didn't let Ben kiss her goodbye or walk her to her apartment. He had won two of the four races, including the one they had ridden in together, and he had taken second for the other two, which annoyed Nat's competitive nature. She hoped to make a quiet entry, but she was supposed to home before nine, not thirty minutes after. She quickly let herself in, and tossed her keys in her bag. Since the front room served not only as the foyer, but also the living room, dining room, and part of the kitchen, everyone witnessed her entry.

…

Nicole looked up when she heard Nat unlock the door. She saw her twin looking tired, her hair a wreck, so she knew Nat had been racing again.

"I'm sorry I'm late." Nat said, overly cheerful to Nicole's ears. "There was an accident on highway, and traffic was backed up." Nicole shot a glance at her dad. He didn't buy it.

"You didn't even have permission to go out tonight, especially not with Ben."

"I'm sorry, Dad." Nat was always quick to apologize. "I told Jason to tell you…"

"You need to ask your mother or me next time." He said. "I trust you weren't doing anything we wouldn't disapprove of?" He shot her a questioning glance, and Nicole heard Eva stifle a giggle. For once she was glad she didn't have a boyfriend.

"No, um, we just went out to dinner." Nat said quickly.

"Good. Since you've already had your dinner, you don't need to eat again. The Report will start soon." Dad turned his attention back to the screen, signaling the conversation was over. Nicole saw her sister wilt a little with relief, and quickly make her escape to their room. She quietly got up from the couch and followed her. She found Nat in the single bathroom, washing a white shirt and mud splattered pair of once white pants in the bathtub.

"I take it you raced again?" Nicole said quietly. Nat made a noise like a snort, and attacked the pants with soap. Luckily, the mud was fresh and came off fairly easily.

"If you could call it that." Nat said. "And it was the real deal." She jerked the garments from the bathtub, and huffed off to their room. She opened the window and draped the clothes outside on the rusty fire escape. "Don't tell Mom and Dad about it." She slammed the window, and Nicole shivered as she felt the nip of frosty air. She hugged her sweater tighter.

"You know I won't." She promised.

"Thanks, Nic. I knew I could count on you."

"Well, I've been dancing a lot longer than you've been riding, so we're equal." Nicole teased.

"Shoot, I'm starving. I need a bath, too."

"The Report starts in less than ten minutes." Nicole reminded her. Nat opened the drawer of their bureau and whipped out a pair of gray sweat pants and a clean sweatshirt.

"Done." Nat said. "Plenty of time for a shower."

"Not really." Nicole said, grinning at her defiantly non analytical twin.

"It is for me, sister dearest." Nat teased, flouncing down the hallway.

…

**Now be awesome and review, submit, follow, fav, whatever!**


	3. Report Announcements

**Still waiting for submissions, so submit away! Thanks to my new submitters: **Demigod-Gallhager-Witch-Girl, Isis of Versailles, Vulkolak, Lost Daughter of Gallifrey, TheGirlWithTheRainbowTattoo, EruditeAbnegationMockinjay, Guest **and **delovlies! **For reviewing- thanks **PrincessIndia, mnbvcxz-xx, delovlies. **For favoring and following-thanks **Isis of Versailles, delovlies, andPrincessIndia.

…

Nat quickly toweled off and threw on the clean clothes. She was starving, but having lied about her whereabouts, she wasn't going to get to eat until tomorrow. She scooped her soaking wet dark curls into a bun, and slipped into a sweatshirt, and hurried into the living room, hearing the talking of the rest of her family start up again as commercials began again. She quickly settled onto the carpet, leaning against the couch, taking a moment to glance at each family member. Her mom was sitting on the ripped easy chair, with eight year old Lea on her lap. Dad, Jason, and Nicole were squeezed on the couch, with thirteen year old Eva sitting next to Nat on the floor. She ignored the growling in her stomach, and turned her attention to the Report, which had just changed back from commercials. Nat barely registered the playing of the anthem as she felt the familiar once-a-week excitement build in her stomach.

The emblem of Illea faded, and the royal family and advisors appeared. King Jackson stood behind the podium with his advisors on one side, and the rest of the royals on the other. Closest to the king was his wife, the beautiful Queen Francesca, resplendent in a full skirted burgundy gown embellished with bronze accents, had her russet curls loosely pinned up.

Next was the oldest prince and the heir to the throne, the crown Prince Andrew had his arm draped around his wife of two years, Christine. His hair was the same dark red-brown as his mothers, while the former Three turned princess had light blonde straight hair, and was skinny, almost like a little bird. She was smiling shyly, her hands tight around the fitted skirt of her light peach-pink dress, complete with a silk bodice that flowed erratically into tulle ruffles.

Next to her was Princess Michelle, a princess of the blood. Her hair was nearly black, like her father's, lay straight down her back. She wore a dramatic mermaid style gown, with a bright turquoise top, with a splash of black lace on one side, and black gauzy skirt. Then there was Prince Ethan, whose dark hair and tanned skin made his just as attractive as his older brother. He seemed nervous, as usual. Finally, there was young Prince Wesley, who stood there beaming, his mop of red hair the same as his mothers, but curly, unlike Andrew's.

"Good Evening, Citizens of Illea." King Jackson began, in his somewhat cold voice. "We have some very important announcements this evening. The first of it is very terrible, but hopefully the rest will lift your spirits."

Nat sighed. She was starving, and the way the king obviously read off a teleprompter wasn't distracting her. She shifted positions.

"As you all know, during the past year, groups of rebels have been challenging Illea in small, coordinated attacks, throwing the country into a small civil war. We have not had to deploy a draft for more than our standing army, since we are not currently fighting a war. The Illean National Guard and Militia have been able to hold off the worst of the rebel attacks. However, this past week, the rebels launched a full scale attack, specifically on the citizens of the Northern Province Yukon. Just this morning, they managed to seize control. While we have heard rumors that the governor of Yukon his been killed, we believe he is still alive, but being detained by the rebel force. There were no civilian casualties, but 38 of our soldiers were lost in the fighting. Please join me in a moment of silence for our fallen heroes."

Nat studied the royal family as they all bowed their head respectively. For a moment, there was nothing but quiet. _Oh, c'mon. You don't have to put on such a show. _She mused. Eventually, King Jackson cleared his throat and everyone looked up.

"And now onto better news." He said. "We have an important announcement. Two years ago, my oldest son, Andrew, went through the Selection at twenty. He met his beautiful wife, our princess and future queen Christine. My next oldest, Michelle, is in the process of engagement to marry the crown prince of Italy, Prince Orlando Vittorio. However, my third son, Prince Ethan, is nearing twenty, and we are excited to announce his Selection will be underway soon. All the young women in Illea will soon be reviving their application forms, and hopefully should be at the palace within a month. Sadly, though, since the province Yukon is out of our control, we will randomly be selecting another province and randomly selecting another candidate from that province, to honor our fellow Illeans of Yukon."

"Oh, Mom, can I please sign up?" Eva cried, begging.

"You have to be sixteen, hon." Mom said.

"So Nat and Nic can sign up?"

"If we want to." Nat said. "Now be quiet. I want to watch the rest."

…

Nicole studied Prince Ethan. After all, she was going to enter the Selection, and she just might be lucky enough to get it. Of course, Nat would beat her out if they had to choose between the twins. Her face was fuller, and her eyelashes were longer. She was just prettier. Anyway, Prince Ethan might not ever meet her, but he was still nice to look at, with his dark brown hair just long enough to fall in his deep hazel-y eyes. Unlike his brothers, he always seemed nervous and uncomfortable on the Report. But who wouldn't? Nicole herself definitely would.

Somehow, she messed the rest of the Report, but all that happened interviews with the royals. Michelle seemed excited about meeting her future fiancé, Christine wasn't pregnant this week either, and Andrew still wasn't regretting his choice of wife. Ethan was nervous about the Selection, and Wesley grinned mischievously about it and said he couldn't wait. Nicole considered the Selection. Should she enter? _Do I want to be a princess? I wouldn't be Queen, since Ethan isn't the oldest, but still, a princess. I guess I will. What do I have to lose? _

…

**Usually, 1000 words is my bare minimum to update, but I'll do short updates until I get more characters, so my story goes to the top of the listing. If you haven't submitted, reviewed, followed, or favorite, I will love you forever if you do! Make sure, though, if you submit, to look at the list on my profile to see which provinces and names aren't taken. I also listed the castes and provinces, so try to do more variety. I now have a lot of Threes and Fours, as well as bakers and girls in the military, so try not to do those! I really appreciate you guys!**


	4. Loyalty as a Twin

**Okay, so just to make sure, PM/ review me if you did links on your profile for dresses and stuff. I have them for: Hana, Katherine, Elvira, Felicity, Adele, Cordelia, Meagan and Gracie. If these are your characters, you can take the links off, since I have them copied! Guests, I'm sorry, LINKS DO NOT SHOW UP IN REVEIWS or PM's! Please make an account, or make your characters better!**

**Also, if you just make a character, and never read it or anything, your character will probably be eliminated, so at least follow! Speaking of which, thanks to everyone who reviewed, followed, favorite, and submitted**- mnbvcxz-xx, delovlies, RadicalKiwi, RosemaryAlysse, Fairy not princess, **and all the guests, I guess. A huge shoutout/hug/thanks to** zanzibaby **for submitting an awesome character, following, and favoriting and just being generally awesome!**

**To my guest reviewer- ** - **I'm very willing to do up to Sevens, I would prefer if you didn't do an Eight, but you can, if you really want to or have already started. They better have a good reason, though, for being selected! I hope you submit, and sorry I couldn't get back to you until now, I couldn't PM you or anything!**

**To "**N**" who created Lilly, if you want a different last name, just review it, and I'll be happy to change it!**

**Also, if you create a character, PLEASE CHECK MY PROFILE FIRST! I have a lot of Threes, Fours, and Fives so try to do Sixes and Sevens, and even a few Twos, as long as they're not actresses. I already have two writers and military girls and multiple bakers, musicians and actresses, so please don't do any more of those. Also, make them unique! Nice and shy at first is not good enough! Your character will be eliminated if they suck! BE CREATIVE PLEASE!**

**(Sorry for that, my author's notes are waay too long, but I'm frustrated by lack of good characters!) **

…

Nicole rose on pointe, extending her leg behind her in an arabesque, and leaned forward until her legs were nearly in a straight line. She gripped the windowsill and stretched. If she kept it up, she would nearly be able to go straight. _What for? _ She sighed and straightened back to normal, sitting with an un-graceful plop onto her bed. She pulled her feet onto her bed, and carefully unlaced the worn out pointe slippers. _I'm a Four. I'm not supposed to be a ballerina. I can't just be a Two because I want to. _She slid her toes from the slippers, pensive. Three nights ago on the Report, the Selection had been announced, and today, her letter should come. She couldn't wait. There was the tiniest chance she might be chosen. It was her ticket out of here. If she was selected, even if she was the first to leave, she would still be a Three. And then, hopefully, she could marry a Two and then she would able to become a professional dancer. She sighed. It all was a big '_If'. _A huge '_if'_. There were millions of girls in Illea, and thousands in Kent alone. Who was she, a scrawny, boring, rather plain Four? Even Nat would get picked over her.

Nicole looked towards Nat's bed, parallel to her own, and then stood up, and went to the mirror. It was evening, but Nat, Dad, and Jason were still driving home from the farm they worked it, unless Nat was going to race again. Mom had gone to the grocery store with Lea and Eva. It was the perfect time to work on her dancing, but after only fifteen minutes, worries had forced Nicole to stop. It was silly, but she needed to practice her look in the mirror for the photo on the Selection application. She studied herself. Dark brown curls. Blah. She peered closer, noticing some almost caramel colored streaks here and there, but they were hardly noticeable. She decided her favorite feature was her eyes, a deep green hazely color. She wrinkled her nose at the beginnings of a breakout on her chin, and rubbed at the smattering of freckles across her nose. As usual, they didn't go away. She stepped back. She and Nat had always had high metabolism, but didn't exactly have too much in the curve department-good for ballerinas and jockeys, she supposed. They were a little on the tall side, too. Nicole hugged her favorite cream drape-y sweater to her shoulders, and turned around. Not ugly, but not exactly super model- goddess either. She sighed. She turned around the small room of the apartment, stopping to study the window looking out to the fire escape. Nat always teased her for analyzing the heck out of everything, but that's just the way she was. She practiced a few smiles in the mirror, but gave up. Maybe some makeup would help. She didn't wear it hardly ever, just because she was always at home or at the factory with no one to impress. She hated being a Four. And she hated the castes.

Even though she was in the dead middle of the castes, it was still the middle. But they were on the low end of the Fours, since they didn't own a small business or anything. She heard someone unlocking the front door, and scurried down the hall to the front room to open it for them, passing the bedrooms. Nicole's hand closed on the knob a second after Nat turned it open.

"Sorry, I almost made it." Nicole said.

"Too slow!" Nat teased, stepping in. "Dad and Jason stopped to mail the rent."

"Did you get the mail?" Nicole asked eagerly. Nat reached into the pocket of her dirty light jacket and took out two large envelopes-now slightly crumpled.

"Yeah. Daughter of Illea, it is your destiny to become a princess in the Selection!" Nat said playfully, bestowing the thick envelope with much unnecessary gusto to Nicole. "Are you really going to enter?" She said. Nicole winced inwardly at Nat's comment. Her twin obviously had a different view on it than she.

"Um, yes?" She said hesitantly. "I thought it might be…you know, fun. It's not like I'll get picked or anything, but still…"

"Whatever. I'm not wasting my time lowering my self-confidence."

"What do you mean?" Nicole forced herself not to open the letter. She recognized the tone in Nat's voice. She was upset. Really upset.

"Nothing. I'm boring, anyway. And if I put that I'm a Four doing a Seven's job, I don't think not getting picked is the worst thing that would happen." Nat looked away, so Nicole knew she was trying to change the topic.

"What's wrong?" She asked. "Don't try to lie to me, because I know you're upset."

"How can you tell?"

"Call it secret twin communication stuff. C'mon, spill. What's wrong?"

"I was supposed to ride today." Nat said quietly. "I actually got hired after losing so badly on Friday."

"Did you lose again?" Nicole asked gently. Nat shook her head, and Nicole knew she was suddenly on the verge of crying.

"I didn't even get the chance." Nat said, her tone choked with bitterness. She yanked her arms out of the sleeves of her jacket, and jammed it on the hook for jackets.

"Why not?" Nicole said, as her sister stormed down the hall to their room.

"Because I was overweight!" Nat yelled over her shoulder, her bitterness turned to anger. "You had to be under 120, and I'm 122."

"But you're not fat." Nicole said, trying to make her feel better. "I don't even weigh that much. You're super skinny."

"Yeah, well not skinny enough." Nat said. "Or small enough."

"What does this have to do with the Selection, then?" Nicole asked as Nat slumped defeated on her bed.

"I just don't want to." Nat said softly. Nicole tried a different tactic.

"It's okay. I know you don't want to enter because you know I'm drop-dead gorgeous." Nicole teased.

"Hey, we're identical, you know." She said, lightly punching Nicole's arm. "We look the same, so I'll take that as a complement."

"C'mon, Nat, please enter." Nicole begged. "It'll be fun!"

"No-o, it's dumb." Nat said lazily as she flopped backwards on the bed.

"What have you got to loose, anyway? It's not like we'll be picked or anything."

"Time, pencil lead, and Ben is what I have to lose. If I enter, it's kind of like cheating on him."

"So don't tell him." Nicole said, crossing her legs. "Please? It'll be fun."

"No, it won't."

"So, think of it as a twin bonding exercise." Nicole slid her fingernail underneath the envelope opening thing, breaking the glue seal.

"Okay, fine!" Nat said. "But you can't tell Ben."

"I won't. I promise."

"Do you swear on your loyalty as a twin?" Nat said. It was the one thing the girls had never broken.

"I swear."

…

**HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY OWN TWIN **delovlies**! **

**Remember to submit, follow, fav, and review! **

**Also, apparently Kiera Cass is writing another book in the trilogy!**


	5. A dream is a wish your heart makes

**Just to let everyone know, when I said no more bakers and stuff last time, it's not that I have anything against bakers, I just didn't want **_**any more **_**bakers, writers, or military girls because I already have a few of each, and I like them, but I just want more variety for future submissions! I know, I know, I'm demanding, but hey. **

**So lots of reviews, follows and favs last time, but only two submissions. So, a big thank you to all of you guys-especially **Booklover0717 **and **zanzibaby **(twice)** **for submitting. Also, to** mnbvcxz-xx, Lost Daughter of Gallifrey, IsisofVersailles, Demigod-Gallagher-Witch-Girl, **and the guests for reviewing**, Demigod-Gallagher-Witch-Girl, Booklover0717, and PEETAMELLARKLOVER123 **for following and/or favorite-ing! **

**Shout out especially to **Isis of Versailles **for giving me a shout out in her (closed) Selection SYOC story! Check it out! **

**Okay, this chapter includes both Nat and Nicole filling out their forms as well as introducing two new characters, Adele and Felicity! **

…

"Great. Should we mention we're twins?" Nat said.

The twins were sprawled on the floor of their bedroom, the late afternoon sun spilling through the window leading out to the fire escape and making a strange window shadow on the floor. Nicole considered the question, bringing the pencil to her lips.

"Nah, they'll probably figure it out. Besides, there's nowhere to put that." She scanned the sheet of expensive paper.

"You're right. So shall we get started?" Nat glanced sideways at her.

"I'm way ahead of you!" Nicole teased.

"Okay. Full name." Nat said, priming her pencil. "That's easy." She began to write, speaking along to the words for no one's benefit. "Natalia Gwen Rosalyn."

"Nicole Genevieve Rosalyn." Nicole said with dramatic flair. "The prettier twin." She said playfully. "Age. Seventeen." The two girls wrote down the number.

"Province. Kent." Nat said as they filled it in. "Caste. Four."

"Occupation." Nicole said. "Hmmm. Factory seamstress." She wrote it down. "And aspiring dancer, but I'm not sure if I should write that."

"Better not." Nat said as she wrote 'exercise rider/farm worker' on the blank. The girls wrote their address in the corresponding blank, and some other contact information.

"Okay, dark brown hair, hazel eyes, tan skin." Nicole said as she wrote. "5'7 and approximately 130 pounds."

"Why do they need this stuff if they're going to take our picture anyway?" Nat interrupted, her earlier anger coming back as she wrote down her weight in a sloppy scrawl. "That's dumb."

They put in information about school-homeschooled, since only Sixes and Sevens were in public schools, and Fours couldn't very well afford private school.

"I've picked up a little Spanish at the track. Do you think that counts for languages spoken?" Nat asked as they moved down the form.

"Do the ballet terms I know count as French?" Nicole asked without answering her sister's question. The girls glanced at each other and shrugged.

"Close enough." Nat said, jotting it down. "I mean, we've studied them a little in school too."

"Okay, so hobbies." Nicole said, her forehead wrinkling. "Should I put ballet?"

"If you don't show it to Mom and Dad. I'm just putting horseback riding." Nat said and they wrote in their secret passions. "What else?"

"Cooking?" Nicole hesitated. "Sewing? Working in the factory?"

"Sure, put that if you want to." Nat said teasingly. "I'm putting down archery too."

"Why? You've never used a bow in your life." Nicole alleged.

"Well, I think it will be fun, and I hear Prince Ethan likes that stuff."

"But it's lying."

"No it's not." Nat said. "I've never done it, but that doesn't mean I won't like it when I do."

"Okay…" Nicole said skeptically as she tried to think of something that sounded good to write down. This form had to be perfect. She ended up writing 'ballet, dance, singing, cooking, studying, and reading.' While reading a history book and studying science terms wasn't her idea of fun, if the book was about ballet, she soaked it up. Nat had finished her form haphazardly and went to take a shower to wash off dirt from the day's work so they could go to take their pictures, but Nicole stayed in their room to put the finishing touches on the form. It had to be perfect. She had to be chosen.

When Nat got out of the shower, Nicole was still working.

"You still working on that?" Nat said, coming into their room with her robe draped around her. "Why?"

"I guess I'm more interesting than you." Nicole quipped as she erased her name so she could write it nicer.

"Do you _want _to be chosen? Honestly?" Nat asked, combing out her wet hair. Nicole shrugged.

"Let's just get our pictures taken before everyone gets home. How long does it usually take Jason and Dad to mail the rent?" Nicole said, getting up.

"A while. They have to go to a meeting or something. Actually I think Jason was meeting some girl, but irrelevant. What are you wearing?" Nat began rummaging through their closet.

"No idea."

Several minutes later, Nat was wearing a new-ish pair of dark jeans and cleaned off riding boots with dark blue button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up and draped over a white tank top. She was drying her hair. Nicole had on her favorite skirt, a dark magenta hand-me-down maxi skirt she had found at a thrift store. She had paired it with a cream colored blouse, flats and un-braided her hair so it hung loose. Nat parted her hair down the middle, and put on a little eyeliner and mascara, as did Nicole.

"Ready?" Nat said. Nicole nodded. For some reason, she was nervous. The girls exited the apartment, and walked to the admission's office.

"Do I have anything in my teeth?" Nicole asked, flashing a cheesy grin.

"You're good." Nat said. Nicole glanced around.

"Look, there's Marjorie." She said, spying the blonde, who sported bright red lipstick and a short pair of black shorts.

"Chris's girlfriend?" Nat asked, speaking of their neighbor.

"Yup." Nicole felt her stomach tighten with jealously.

"She's wearing a push-up bra!" Nat pointed out. "What a slut." She rolled her eyes.

They continued to take in the jittery girls around them as the line inched up.

"Do you want to go first?" Nat said, suddenly feeling nervous.

"No." Nicole's voice was soft and flat. "But I will.

"Okay." Nat stepped behind her twin as the girl in front of Nicole blinked as the camera flashed. They didn't retake it.

Nicole followed the employee's instructions, and sat on the chair, tilting her head this way and her chin that way, and looking at the camera. She smiled her best smile, mentally picturing ballet and dancing and chocolate.

"Just a minute." The woman taking the pictures said as she fished her ringing cell phone from her pocket. Nicole tried not to move her head, but shifted her eyes to Nat, who beamed and gave her a big thumbs up. Nicole's eyes shifted to the window, and she caught sight of someone familiar. It was Ben, Nat's boyfriend, standing in line with his sister. She realized Nat couldn't see him from where she was, but that Ben could see her. _Oh no…._

Nicole was jarred back to her own situation as the woman snapped at her to look at the camera. She barely had a second to paste a quick smile on her face before the bulb flashed, and the woman was barking "Next!" She stood up from the chair, shaking her head at Nat, but found her sister occupied with the camera, smiling happily. In a moment, she joined Nicole outside

"That wasn't so bad!" She said. Before Nicole could respond, Ben made his enterance.

"Hi, Nat." He called to them. Both girls turned. He wasn't smiling, and his mouth was in a hard line. Nicole watched her sister visibly deflate, and cast a pleading look at her.

"I'll see you at home." Nicole said quickly, and left quickly.

Nat turned to face her boyfriend, who had basically caught her cheating on him. She nervously smoothed her hair.

"Hi, Ben." She said just above a whisper. "I didn't know you were going to be here."

"Obviously. My mom wanted me to come with Carrie Ann." Ben said coldly, gesturing to his sister.

"I'm sorry…" She said lamely.

"Huh." Ben was obviously hurt, and definitely not in the mood for apologies. "Then why'd you do it?"

"Nicole wanted me to." Nat said. She had honed her lying skill over the years, but that was the truth.

"Really." He obviously didn't believe her. "You could have at least told me. You know, I thought you were really crazy about me. Because I really like you. But I can see I was wrong."

"About me, or about you?" Nat said, and the winced inwardly. Not the best time for her terrible analytical skills to come into play.

"About you."

"Ben, I'm probably not going to even be picked." Nat tried to improve the situation.

"Then why did you enter? Because Nicole wanted you to? I know she didn't force you. You had to come on your own free will. I guess I was wrong about you."

"Ben, listen to me." Nat pleaded.

"Forget it. I have to go." Ben stormed off, leaving Nat alone, and on the verge of crying. She turned in the other direction, and ran home, as quickly as possible.

…

Adele Roxanne Warren frowned at the mirror. Everything was going wrong tonight. First, she had tripped in the last dress rehearsal they had before opening night-tonight- and although she told everyone she was fine, her ankle hurt, and she could barely walk in her dance shoes now. Now, as she prepared to do her stage makeup, she discovered she was breaking out _again. _To top it all off, her hair was still too short to look good.

"Why did I ever cut my hair?" She moaned to her friend and fellow actress, Felicity Weaver. The auburn haired girl smiled.

"You said you wanted to look like Cordelia Whitney in that movie." Felicity said, leaning close to the mirror to apply mascara.

"Yeah, I thought she actually cut her hair. I didn't know she just wore a wig." Adele moaned. "Do you have any more of the acne medicine? I'm breaking out. Again."

"Yeah, in my purse." Felicity said, nudging it in Adele's direction. "Are you nervous about tonight?"

"Not really. You?" Adele smeared the medicine on her skin.

"Yeah. I know I'm only in the ensemble, but still." Felicity said. "I don't know how you do it."

"Hey, I'm right there in the back with you most of the time." Adele corrected, reaching for her foundation. The endless cycle of heavy stage makeup always made her breakout, which had to be covered up with makeup, which made her breakout over and over again.

"Yeah, in large productions. But you told me you always get the lead in the small productions back at home." Felicity finished with her mascara. While both girls were Fives, live theatre actresses, and seventeen, their similarities ended there. Whereas Adele sported short dark blondish curls, Felicity had longer deep red hair, and blue eyes to Adele's brown. Felicity was tall and thin, and Adele was shorter and petite. Adele, though, was loud, plucky, overly dramatic, sassy, and almost superficial, but she seemed friendly. In contrast, Felicity was quiet and a good listener, but came alive on stage. Adele, on the other hand, always seemed to be acting, even in real life. Adele had four siblings, and often stayed after performances to clean up for extra cash. She often worked in two shows at once, usually as a background dancer/singer in a large production, and the lead in a small community theatre productions. Ironically, she was paid much more to be in the ensemble. Felicity usually scored a small lead role in the larger productions, with a handful of lines. However, Felicity only had one sister still at home, and her family was pretty well off-at least for Fives.

Adele finished caking her face with the liquid foundation, and quickly pressed powder over it to set. She brushed her checks with blush, and dusted a little on her collarbone before moving to hot pink eye shadow on her lids to match her costume. She had to wear lots of makeup like everyone else in the production company, so their faces would be more visible to the audience, and the lights wouldn't wash them out. Overtime, Adele had gotten used to it. Tonight was opening night for their newest show, a huge undertaking to transform _Cinderella _from imagination to stage. Felicity and Adele both served as attenders of the ball. Adele finished the eye shadow and reached for a thick liquid eye liner.

"So, did you watch the Report the other night?" She asked Felicity as her friend rolled her long hair into the curling iron.

"Yeah. It's a shame about Yukon. I'm glad we weren't touring there."

"I've never been there." Adele said, sticking in her false eyelashes.

"Me neither." Felicity admitted.

"Do theaters even tour up there? It's just a bunch of snow and mountains and igloos, isn't it?" Adele applied mascara heavily to the false eyelashes, and set to work pinning her short curls into a cheesy up-do.

"I have no idea." Felicity said.

"Are you going to enter the Selection?" Adele asked.

"Maybe." Felicity covered her new curls in a cloud of hairspray.

"I wonder if the royals ever got inspiration from _Cinderella._" Adele mused, jabbing a pin into her hair.

"I'll keep that in mind while I'm preforming tonight!" A new voice behind them interrupted. "Hurry, girls. Curtin's up in fifteen minutes." Bianca White-Cinderella herself-said. She had befriended Felicity when the girl played in the orchestra and helped her get into the ensemble. In turn, she met Adele. Adele studied the older woman. Bianca seemed to be in her mid twenties, and had scored every female lead in this company since Adele could remember.

"Did you enter Prince Andrew's Selection?" Adele asked, figuring Bianca was old enough to have been in Ethan's older brother's Selection, about three years ago.

"I sure did, Dellie, honey." Bianca said. "But I didn't get picked. I didn't have my face on in the picture." She gestured to her dramatic make up. "But Princess Christine lived on the same street I did."

"Did you know her?" Felicity said, standing up and taking her costume off the hook by her spot in the woman's communal dressing room.

"I did." Bianca said fondly. "Of course, I was a Five and play actress, and she was a Two and a ballerina, but she helped me with an audition routine once. I had to dance."

"So, do you think we should enter?" Adele asked.

"Of course, Dellie! You have nothing to lose and ever thing to gain. Now you won't become Queen unless Andrew and Christine die childless, but still, Princess is just as good."

"What if Prince Ethan doesn't find anyone he loves?" Felicity said.

"Oh, trust me, he will. It's always happened. Even in _Cinderella, _the most unlikely girl was chosen by the Prince. So you never know who it may be." Bianca gave a wistful sigh, and Adele found herself dreaming of falling in love, something she had only experienced as an actress and a character. Sure, she had dated her way up in the company before, but it was just to get better parts and better pay.

"Now, you girls get in your costumes, and hurry! I have to go, but promise me you'll at least enter the Selection." Bianca said.

"I will." Felicity said.

"Me too. See you at the ball." Adele teased. Bianca made a hasty exit, and Adele quickly stepped out of her dressing gown and into her costume, a gaudy, cheesy hot pink gown.  
_Who knows? _She thought. _Maybe I'll get my fairy tale ending someday._

…

**What did you all think? Adele, Felicity and even Cordelia are all among the characters. I'll be introducing probably two more next time, while Nat and Nic wait for the Selected to be well, Selected! I also need about ten more characters. If I don't get enough, I'll make some names to be eliminated first, but I would love to have all of them! Remember to review, follow, fav, and of course, submit! I'm getting to longer chapters, now! This is 2500, but my chapters on Fanfiction usually go to about 3500. On FictionPress, though, they can push 9000. **

**I'm wrapping up an old syoc story on FP, speaking of which. I decided to do a vote sponsored ending, and I would really appreciate it if you guys read it! It's called "The Hunt" under my same username as here. I guess its kind of like the Hunger Games, but I didn't see the movie until I was about a third of the way through, so I didn't copy! Please read it! **


	6. Cupcakes, Conquering, and Cafes

**Thanks to **mnbvcxz-xx, delovlies, Demigod-Gallagher-Witch-Girl, PEETAMELLARKLOVER123, IsisofVersailles, zanzibaby, Vulkodlak, theYAfangirl17** and** fairy not princess **for reviewing; **theYAfangirl17 **for following and submitting (!) and**Demigod-Gallagher-Witch-Girl **and** IsisofVersailles **for favorite-ing me! Love you guys! **

**This chapter is introducing more of the other girls. Adele and Felicity are going to be the only Fives introduced before the Selection begins. This chapter is for the Threes I chose to introduce before the Selection begins-Gracie, Amelia, and Hana. I have plans for Cora later on, but I don't know about the other Threes yet. Not every character will be focused on, just to let you know. **

**I still need nine characters! Please try to do Sixes and Sevens, as I only have one of each. If you do a Two, no more actresses, no more Threes or Fives at all. **

Gracie Luna inhaled her favorite smell in the world besides horses. The sweet smell of baking cake filled the room as the cupcakes reached their , halfway point. Although her official job as a Three was a teacher's assistant, she still loved to bake. Her mother, though, was a professional pastry chef specializing in wedding cakes, and the newest order requested four dozen matching cupcakes to go along with a three tier cake. The order would be good for them, since Dad had been laid off from the school where he taught for about a year now. Gracie smirked. They couldn't afford to hire her father, a historian, but they could afford to keep her little sixteen year old, five foot three inch self on in the kindergarten classroom for the Sixes and Sevens? Sometimes, Illea's government was weird.

Even though Gracie and her family were Threes, they didn't have much money. In fact, Gracie knew several Fours who owned small businesses and were wealthier than her own family. Besides, now that Chase was in medical school, funds were even tighter.

Gracie went to the fridge to get the cream cheese for the frosting. The cake order would be delicious-vanilla bean cake, cream cheese raspberry buttercream and chocolate ganache filling. Gracie had already heated the cream and melted the chocolate into it, and the ganache was now cooling. She snagged the cream cheese and went back to the mixer, unwrapping it as she went. She tossed it in, next to the already softened butter, and turned the mixer on. While they creamed together, she took the raspberry puree she had made earlier and ran it through the strainer to get rid of the seeds. When that was done, she slowly added it to the butter/cream cheese mixture. She then got powdered sugar, and poured some into the mixing bowl, but too much and the air filled with a delicious cloud of sugar for a second. Gracie giggled. She was in a wonderful mood. She had spent the morning at the riding stable down the street, first mucking out stalls and cleaning the tack room. She didn't mind, of course. Next, she got to ride. In the past, she had taken riding lessons, but she didn't really need them anymore. It was just a privilege to ride. She had taken out Zanzibar, a high strung black colt who had an attitude around everyone but Gracie. When people walked by his stall, he would try to nip them. When others tried to saddle him, he would pitch such a fit in the crossties that it took nearly thirty minutes. Riding him was a disaster, for all he did was buck and fight for his head.

But around Gracie, he nickered when he saw her coming or heard her voice, and rubbed on her when she entered his stall. He would act like a perfect gentlemen when she led him or saddled him, and obeyed her perfectly. She had taken him jumping before finishing with a gallop in the far paddock and then walking back to cool him down. When she had arrived back home, she had spent the afternoon making cupcakes. She added more powdered sugar to the pale pink frosting, and it began to take shape. When it was thick and creamy, she added a little dash of vanilla and turned off the mixer. She checked the timer for the cupcakes, finding they still had several minutes left to bake, but were rising nicely. She left the frosting where it was, and went into the living room.

Her letter for the Selection had come today. There was no doubt about whether she should enter or not. Chase's college bills weren't going to pay themselves, and _if _you got in, the family was generously compensated. Besides, out of all the girls in Atlin, it was doubtful that Gracie would be chosen, but still, it was worth a try, and well, why not? _I'm not that ugly! _Gracie mused. _Sure, I'm tiny, but I'm blonde. That's got to count for something. _She had light golden blonde wavy hair, and blue eyes-the perfect 'Barbie Doll' look. It wasn't exotic or supermodel, but still, she was pretty.

Gracie sat on the floor, leaning against the couch, and ran her fingers over the envelope on the coffee table. She had opened it and read it last night, but had only gotten so far as her name when Chase had called, and she had spent the next several hours talking on the phone to her favorite-and only- brother. Since she had a few minutes, she might as well work on it.

_Name: Gracelyn Elisabeth Luna_

_Age: 16_

Gracie stopped again. Was sixteen old enough to get married? Sure, she was almost seventeen, but Prince Ethan was almost twenty. _Do I even have a chance? _Gracie wondered, distractedly drawing a tiny horse in the margin. Shaking herself, she quickly moved to erase the doodle, but realized she was using a pen, so she scribbled over it.

_Province: Atlin_

_Caste: Three_

_Occupation: Teacher's Assistant at Atlin Central Elementary School _

_Hair color: light golden blonde. _

Gracie stopped again. Was that too much information? Did they just want blonde, or what? They were taking her picture anyway, so she left it.

_Eye color: ocean blue_

_Skin tone: pale, but fair_

_Height: 5'3_

_Weight: 117 pounds_

Gracie wrote down her schooling information, and address and contact information, but was interrupted when the oven timer went off. She abandoned the letter, and scurried into the kitchen, to take out the two double dozen cupcake pans, the delicious vanilla bean wafting through the air as she opened the oven and took them out with an oven mitt. She set them on the stove top to cool, and went back to the living room to keep working.

_Languages spoken: fluent English, passable French, and some Russian_

_Hobbies: horseback riding, baking, singing. _

Gracie poised her pencil, trying to think of other things to write down. The Prince didn't want someone boring, did he? She added 'reading' to the list, then 'spending time with family' and 'working with little kids and horses' and left it at that. She quickly finished the rest of the questions, and folded the form up and slipped it back into the envelope. Mom was at an appointment with a client to discuss their wedding, and her dad was at the bank, trying to get another loan for Chase's schooling. _I have to get into the Selection to help him. _Gracie resolved, heading back into the kitchen. _Once I finish these, I'll go get my picture taken._

She dumped the baking pans over to dislodge the cupcakes, and piled them onto a tray, and stuck them in the freezer to cool a bit more. She got out a pastry bag, and fitted it with a large open star tip, and spatula-d the frosting into it. She folded it up, and twisted it shut, and laid it on the counter. She got out the now cooled and thickened ganache and a container of fresh raspberries before getting the cupcakes back out. She hollowed out the middles, refusing the temptations to eat the cores, and spooned with delicious ganache into them before putting the cores back on top for less mess. She steadied the piping bag over the first cupcake, and piped a neat swirl, moving quickly. When each scrumptious bite was covered with a layer of light pink, and filled with the best substance on earth, Gracie garnished each top with a fresh raspberry and drizzled a little more ganache on top and then added some sugar pearls for good measure. It _was _fora wedding. After she had loaded them into one of the cake boxes and put them into the refrigerator, she ran upstairs to her room.

She changed into a nice pair of khaki pedal pushers and a lavender blouse with a white sweater open to reveal her necklace-sliver pendant in the shape of a music note with a diamond in the middle. She took her hair down from her customary ponytail, and after a quick brushing, she side parted it and slipped a bobby pin into it to keep it out of her eyes. She dabbed a little perfume on for good measure, and some concealer. She decided she should put on some makeup for good measure, and put on some light brown eye shadow and a little brown eyeliner. Gracie slipped on her favorite shoes, a low pair of tan colored heeled sandals, and headed down stairs. Mom had just arrived home and was inspecting Gracie's work in the kitchen.

"These are lovely. Are you sure you don't want to become a baker?" Her mother said. Gracie gave a firm nod.

"I love little kids too much. It'll always be a hobby, though." She resisted the temptation to rub her eyes. Makeup was not a daily thing for her.

"What are you all gussied up for?"

"I want to go get my picture taken and turn in my form for the Selection. Can you take me?" Gracie's mom nodded, and they headed to the car.

…

Amelia Wilde sighed, and looked at the letter in her hands. The Selection seemed like it would be every girl's dream-palace, servants, prince-it was a Cinderella story. Just not for Amelia. She set the letter down on her desk and tried to work on her story. She was a writer, after all, and her publisher was hounding her for a sequel to her first and only novel. But the thing was, the book didn't need a sequel. Christian had ended up with Tara. There was nothing else to write. Unless Christian was going to break her heart and fall in love with her best friend and cheat on her. The manuscript and the letter blurred in front of Amelia's face. The reminder was fresh, and it stung.

Amelia blinked at her stubborn tears, glancing up, only to spy a picture of the memory on her bulletin board above her desk. She and Alex were standing next to each other outside next a fancy restaurant he had taken her to. She had on her favorite dress, a baby blue peplum style with a wide black belt, and black pumps to match her dangly black earrings. Her dark hair was curled and she was grinning in the picture. Alex had his arm around her, and they had tilted their heads so the foreheads were touching. The bitter reminder of her ex-boyfriend made Amelia's stomach clench, and urge to cry was stronger now. Even worse, Amelia remembered who had taken the picture. Erin Rusk. Ex-best friend. She had been double dating with George that night. Only the next weekend, Alex had called to tell he was sick and Amelia had gone to a restaurant with her brother's Jack, Theo, Noel, and Zachery, only to catch Alex and Erin making out during a date of their own. That was two months ago.

The worst part was that not only was Alex cheating on her, but Erin had lied to her and betrayed her. In the span of one night, she had an ex-boyfriend and ex-best friend. And it had hurt. Amelia wiped at her eyes. Even if she was to enter the Selection, and get chosen, she didn't think she would last long. She didn't think she would ever trust another guy again, even if he was a prince. Guys were jerks anyway. Besides, being stuck with a bunch of girls who were all dating the same guy sounded like a nightmare to Amelia. Too close to what had happened with Alex and Erin.

Being nineteen, she didn't have much time left. She had graduated last year, and just last week her close friend Leslie had gotten married and Amelia had been the only bridesmaid who wasn't married, engaged, or really close to being engaged. She had heard at Leslie's wedding that Erin, formerly a Four, had gotten into the Illean Military Academy, where she served as a cadet. Leslie had only been engaged for a few weeks, since she had called Amelia about a month ago, crying and confessing that she had stayed the night at Jeremey's house the weekend prior and now her period was a week late. The wedding had been hastily planned, since Leslie was indeed pregnant. Everyone she knew got married in their very early twenties, since it was too hard to wait. But after the fiasco with Alex, Amelia didn't even want to _talk _to any boy who wasn't one of her four brothers.

She quietly slipped the application form back into its envelope, and tossed it into the waste basket next to her desk. It was a waste of time. Next, she flipped to some clean pages in her rough draft notebook. Her own happily ever was pretty much gone forever, but that didn't mean she should mess with Christian and Tara's-even though they were fictional characters. Besides, she was eager to write something that didn't include romance. It would only depress her.

.

Later that evening, Amelia had the plot and character furnished for a historical drama and had just finished outlining the first chapter when she heard a knock at her bedroom door. Without waiting for her to say 'come in' her brother Zach waltzed in.

"Watcha doing, baby sis?" He asked, ruffling her hair and then sitting on the foot of her bed.

"Writing. Go away." Amelia said distractedly.

"Writing about yourself?" Zach, said, wiggling his eyebrows at her. "I wish they had a Selection for Princess Michelle. She's hot."

"What?" Amelia glanced up from her work, annoyed. "What are you talking about?"

"I saw your form for the Selection came. Aren't you filling it out?" Zach asked. Amelia rolled her eyes.

"Why would I waste my time on that?" She said. "I threw it away." She tried to go back to writing, but her pencil tip snapped. Amelia groaned, and opened a drawer to get a pencil sharpener. She heard Zach ruffle through the wastebasket, and a second later the fancy-schamncey envelope landed on top of her notebook.

"Promise me you'll fill it out." Zach said, serious for once. "I want to see my favorite sister happy."

"I'm your only sister, and filling out a stupid form isn't going to make me happy. Being in some stupid Selection isn't either."

"I just want you to learn to open up and trust guys again. I don't want you going through your whole life lonely." Zach said.

"Zach, I'm not even going to be picked. It's a waste of time."

"Then what have you got to lose by filling out the form? Think about, Lia." Zach said, moving toward the door. "I doubt you will, though." He exited, closing the door behind him. Amelia huffed, and swept the envelope off her notebook onto the side of her desk. She finished the sentence she had been writing, but after that, her creativity was gone. She tried to go back and edit what she had written, but her gaze kept going to the envelope.

Zach, her parents and brothers, and all her friends thought she would end up as a spinster. An idea of revenge suddenly formed in her head. She would prove them wrong. She would show Erin and Alex that they were nothing to her. She would find love again.

Amelia slammed her notebook shut, and practically tore open the envelope, and began hurriedly filling it out.

_Name: Amelia Cressida Wilde_

_Age: 19_

_Province: Carolina _

_Caste: Three_

_Occupation: writer _

_Hair color: brunette _

_Eye color: dark brown_

_Skin tone: ivory _

_Height: 5'6_

_Weight: 126 pounds_

_Languages spoken: English, Spanish, French and some Italian_

_Hobbies: writing, horseback riding, soccer, watching movies, reading_

She filled out her schooling information and contact information, and went into the bathroom. She brushed her dark hair, and left it down. She had put on eyeliner this morning, but she went ahead and applied it again, along with mascara and some dark gray eye shadow and lip gloss. She went to her closet, looking for something to wear. Her gaze landed on the baby blue and black peplum in the photo on her bulletin board. She grabbed it, and hastily put it on, along with black ankle boots, tights and jacket, since it wasn't summer anymore. Next, Amelia unpinned the photo from her bulletin board, and folded it so only herself was visible. Satisfied, she grabbed her purse, and headed downstairs. She would show them all.

…

Hana Piper heard the excited squeal from her best friend Diana and knew it could only be for one thing. Hana held the phone a few inches away from her ear and winced slightly.

"What is it?" Hana asked, knowing the answer.

"My letter for the Selection came!" Diana practically screamed through the phone. "Oh my goodness!"

"Mine came yesterday." Hana said, glancing at her surroundings to make sure her boss wasn't anywhere nearby. Her mother owned a large chain of cafés throughout Belcourt, and Hana worked part time in the one closest to their home. Although Mom traveled all over the province to oversee her corporation locations, she was most often at the one Hana worked at, and the largest. Hana's break had ended five minutes ago, but she wasn't ready to end the conversation with her best friend.

"What?" Diana squawked. "Why did you tell me? We need to have a sleepover to fill them out or something!"

"I didn't think it was such a big deal." Hana admitted, twirling a strand of hair around her finger. "In fact, I just remembered I had it. It's in my purse."

"When do you get off work?" Diana demanded. Hana checked her watch.

"Less than an hour. But I'm staying here until my mom drives me home."

"Why?"

"Because it's raining and I don't want to walk and I am _not _taking the bus." Hana responded. On the other line Diana groaned dramatically.

"Fine, I'll meet you there in forty five minutes. I'll call the chauffer." Diana said. The girls said their goodbyes, and Hana hung up. Even though she was a Three and Diana was a Two, Diana was a very successful model as was her mom, and her dad directed movies that always won awards. Whereas Hana's dad was a therapist and her mom owned a small local corporation. They weren't poor by any means, but not nearly as wealthy as Diana's family.

.

An hour later, Diana had arrived and Hana's shift had ended. The girls were settled at the table in the corner by the front window, and rain dripped down the glass, making the inside seem cozy on the fall day. Hana had taken the liberty of ordering them both lattes and she was eating a piece of cheesecake, but Diana declined anything, sighting her modeling career.

"Let's get started, then!" Diana said happily, brushing her midnight black tresses out of her blue eyes.

"I don't think I'll ever get picked anyway." Hana said, suddenly feeling glum. "You'll definitely get picked over me. I mean, you're a model."

"Yeah, well you got that fashion designing internship and you're starting college in a few weeks, and you graduated with top marks. I'm just a dumb model." Diana countered, taking a sip of her low-fat latte. "At least try." She began writing away, filling in her form. Hana paused for a moment, watching the rain outside. After a moment, she filled out the basic information.

_Name: Hana Andromeda Piper_

_Age: 18_

_Province: Belcourt _

_Caste: Three_

_Occupation: _

She stopped as she considered it. She worked part time at the café, she also had a fashion design internship and she would be a freshman in college in two weeks.

_Occupation: employee at Pied Piper Café, intern at Seraphina Fashion Company, and freshman at Belcourt Province University of Arts _

"Do think I should describe my hair as midnight black or raven black, or inky black?" Diana interrupted Hana's thoughts.

"Midnight." Hana said. "What about mine?" Diana studied her.

"Hmmm. I'd say milk chocolate brown." She said after a moment. Hana nodded.

_Hair color: milk chocolate brown_

_Eye color: hazel_

_Skin tone: light tan_

_Height: 5'9_

_Weight: 138 pounds _

_Languages spoken: English, French and some Latin and Spanish_

_Highest grade level completed: twelve, currently. Accepted into Belcourt Province University of the Arts _

_Hobbies: sketching, designing clothes, painting, studying. _

As Hana looked over her list of hobbies, she couldn't help feeling boring. She snuck a look at Diana's form.

_Languages Spoken: English, some French_

_Hobbies: Modeling_

It made her feel a little better about herself. In terms of her looks, though, Diana far outshined her.

"Okay, I'm done! How about we go to my house and get a makeover for our pictures?" Diana suggested.

"Okay." Hana said. "Can I borrow a nicer outfit?" She glanced down at her black pants and blouse, the standard uniform for employees at the café.

"Of course!" Diana said, collecting her things and standing up. The girls were very similar in proportions. Hana had once been offered a modeling contract, but she had turned it down. She didn't want to leave her internship, since designing and drawing clothes was what she loved to do.

Diana's chaffer took them to her three level mansion, and got out of the car to open the door for them. He held two umbrellas above them as they hurried inside. Diana made a beeline to her massive closet as soon as she got to her room, and began removing designer clothing on hangers and laying them on her king sized bed.

"I have just the outfit in mind for you!" Diana said, taking out a chic hot pink cocktail dress. It was strapless, and backless.

"Oh, no. I could never wear that." Hana said quickly.

"Please? You'll look so great!" Diana begged.

"No way. You wear it. It'll look great on you." Hana said. Diana shrugged, and flounced to the bathroom to change. Hana riffled through her friend's closet, recognizing many of the garments. She found a dark red dolman sleeved blouse she knew would look good with her hazel eyes and brown hair. Hana decided it would look good with the pants she had on, and since they wouldn't even show up in the photo, she left them on, and changed shirts, folding her other one and depositing it in her Coach purse. Diana came out, flaunting her long legs in the skimpy dress.

"I feel HOT!" Diana crowed, digging out a pair of sky high black stilettos from her closet. "I wore these to the Oscars last year when I went with my dad." She explained, putting them on. She added diamond stud earrings before heading to her vanity. Hana usually didn't wear makeup, but she carefully applied a little mascara and a tan eye shadow. Diana was applying a heavy coat of sparkly black eye shadow to her already outlined eyes. She finished off the look with a shocking shade of dark hot pink. She applied outrageous mascara, and finished it off with a little more powder on her nose.

"Shall we go?" Diana said, turning to look at Hana. "That's all you're going to wear? At least do some eyeliner or something."

"I like it like this." Hana said, suddenly realizing they were competing for the same prize now.

"Okay, but don't say I'm not allowed to say 'I told you so'" Diana said. Hana grinned at her.

"Oh, I will." She joked.

But there existed some tension between the girls that hadn't been there yesterday. Because now, they were a sort of enemies.

…

**How was that? I had to change a few things for some characters, mostly about Hana and Erin, who is actually one of the OC's. Let me know if you got the reference of Amelia's book characters! Keep submitting, there's still nine spots open!**


	7. A matter of duty

**(****Apologies, I have a lot of announcements and explaining to do) **

**So, my computer broke, so that's why this took so long. **

**Internet kills writing. I mean, I love that you're reading this on the Internet, but the reason I cranked out the last couple chapters so fast is because I was stuck in a car on a trip, with nothing to do but write, and no wifi! Now, I'm home and wifi is abundant, and it's just so distracting! Actually, I spent most of the last two days working on a PowerPoint thing about this since I have no idea how to use a blog. Sadly, I have no idea how to put it on the internet, so any ideas would be appreciated, since I worked hard on it!**

**I figured out who is a main, supporting, or minor character. I was going to do it by caste, but I decided against it. I love most of the characters I got but I had to choose who to highlight! It's nothing personal, just depending on similarities to other characters and amount of detail. Not everyone is going to get an intro, and not everyone will be introduced before the Selection. Right now, I only know that Katherine and Mackenzie have full intros later on. It's the same as the others I have introduced, just later. There are still spots left, though!**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed, followed, favorite-ed, and/or submitted: **4Love4Love4 **(check out her Selection SYOC!), **zanzibaby, Booklover0717, theYAfangirl17, Lost Daughter of Gallifrey. mnbvcxz-xx **(who indeed got the reference),** majestictales, PEETAMELLARKLOVER123 **and any guests! Huge thanks to **zanzibaby **for torturing me with her cupcakes and **theYAfangirl **for submitting three awesome characters, and reading another one of my stories!**!** You guys are the best!**

**Okay, enough really boring authors note no one read. Without further ado, the main characters-Elvira (by **TheGirlWithTheRainbowTattoo **read her awesome Selection SYOC story), Taylor, by **theYAfangirl17, **and Micaela, by **Demigod-Gallagher-Witch-Girl, (**read her awesome Selection SYOC story too!) and the supporting characters-Dorianne (**Guest**), and Cordelia by **EruditeAbnegationMockinjay (**read her Selection SYOC story also! **)

***note- I have no idea where most of the provinces should be. I think Yukon should be Alaska, because that's a river there, and a term used to describe the region and Angeles is California because of Los Ageless, but that's all. I also changed Cordelia's name from Swift to Whitney (her middle name) because I'm sorry, I hate Taylor Swift* **

…

Elvira Entrinken never got mail. But today she had two letters. The brunette studied the envelope. She knew what the bigger one contained. Her bunkmates Kimberly, Pauline, Sasha, and Marcelle all had gotten one, too. Elvira wanted to do what the other girls had done with them and throw it away, but that might not be possible. The envelope was large, crisp and obviously expensive. She traced her finger over her name on the front. _Elvira Emily Entrinken. _It had been delivered to her home address, not her current residence.

It was a letter to enter the Selection. A chance to become the wife of Prince Ethan. _Hmmm. Private in the Illean military becomes princess. _Elvira mused, slipping the Selection letter underneath the other envelope. This one had come from home, addressed to Elvira at her base, stationed in New Asia. And it was from her father. She slipped her finger nail underneath the slot and opened the envelope. Why he couldn't call, text or even email her was beyond Elvira. She pulled out the double sided piece of typed paper, and unfolded it.

_My dearest daughter Ellie, _it began. Elvira wrinkled her nose in distaste. She hated when people called her that.

_The letter from our King Jackson and Queen Francesca arrived yesterday addressed to you, my beautiful daughter. It made me very proud to know that in the near future, you, my daughter, could become the princess of Illea. _Elvira couldn't help rolling her eyes. She loved her dad, of course, but sometimes he was over the top. Besides, there was already two princesses, Michelle and Andrew's wife Christine. She kept reading.

_As the daughter of the Illean ambassador to Germany, you must know you will have very good chances in this contest. My original plan to marry Gerda to Prince Andrew fell through when he chose Christine over your elder sister. I planned to marry her to Prince Ethan, but she is now twenty five, and too old to even be considered. This leaves the task up to you, my dearest Elvira. _

_When you were preparing to graduate, you made me a promise that you would enter Ethan's Selection when the time came and in return, you could attend the Illean Military Academy, instead of a finishing school of your choice. Well, my daughter, that time has come. _

_I posted the letter from the palace with this letter. Since you are not in Illea at this time, I contacted the Province of Sonage Services Office. They told me that you (and any other girls of age at the base) will be allowed to fill out the form and post it, along with a picture of yourself to them._

_I trust that you will keep your promise to me, Elvira, and fill out the form. I have no doubt in my mind that you will be selected._

Elvira scanned the brief closing, barely managing to suppress a groan. Why had she ever agreed to the ultimatum? She didn't really have a choice, though. Go to some stupid prissy finishing school thing to prepare you for the Selection, and be forced into the Selection, or go to military school and join the army and be forced into the Selection. Still, this was a better choice.

But Elvira didn't want to go to some stupid palace and wear stupid ball gowns and date some stupid prince with a bunch of stupid girls. She wished her older sister Gerda had been chosen over Christine. Then Dad would be satisfied-maybe. She wished her parents had never divorced. Then maybe she would be happy about the Selection. She wished her brother Alabaster had never joined the army, so she never would have either. She wished Gerda had been chosen. She wished she was a normal girl excited about the Selection so this didn't suck so much. Or that she could just be allowed to live her life!

Reluctantly, Elvira opened the first envelope. She glanced at the first piece of paper, a form to fill out, and scanned the letter.

_Our beloved prince, Ethan Schreave, is coming of age this month. As he ventures into this new part of his life, he hopes to move forward with a partner, to marry a true Daughter of Illéa. If your eligible daughter, sister, or charge is interested in possibly becoming the bride of Prince Ethan and the adored princess of Illéa, please fill out the enclosed form and return it to your local Province Services Office. One woman from each province will be drawn at random to meet the prince. Participants will be housed at the lovely Illéa Palace in Angeles for the duration of their stay. The families of each participant will be __generously compensated__ for their service to the royal family._

Elvira crumpled the letter and chucked it at the door. She sat down on her bed-the lower bunk she shared with Marcelle-and wished she could do the same with the stupid form. But no, that was not to be. She was most definitely _not _interested in becoming the bride of Prince Ethan and the adored princess of Illea. It was like some Cinderella story, and she thought it was dumb. Why couldn't the prince just find someone the regular way? Or be forced into a marriage to help the country like Princess Michelle? The whole thing was just dumb.

Why should she have to enter, anyway? Because Gerda wanted her to, to finish what she had started, but with a different guy? Because Dad wanted a princess for a daughter? He was an ambassador already, and they were Twos, so it wasn't like they needed the money. Elvira wasn't in love with Ethan either. Her mother could care less about what she or her ex-husband did. Alabaster, her brother, was a commander in a military, and would probably be dead-set against Elvira entering. Gerda would probably hate her for it. Fortunately, she and Elvira's mother were living in Spain, and Gerda was twenty five, so the worst she could do was send a couple of angry text messages.

Reluctantly, Elvira decided that the only thing she could do was try as hard as she could _not _to get chosen. Although Dad, a close friend of the king, could probably pull some strings. She grabbed one of Pauline's books and pen from the lower bunk on the other side of the room, knowing one of her four roommates at the base wouldn't mind, and sprawled on the floor, glad that none of her roommates were here; they would surely kid her about this stupid Selection. She studied the form, and began to make herself sound as dull and uninteresting as possible. Sure, they claimed they drew the girls randomly, but because Elvira's dad was so high up and close to the king, and a jerk like Gerda had gotten chosen last time around, she knew it wasn't true. They claimed they were doing that to honor the now rebel controlled territory of Yukon, but Elvira doubted it. Maybe, though.

_Name: Elvira Emily Entrinken _

_Age: 18_

_Province: Sonage_

_Caste: Two_

_Occupation: Private in the military_

_Hair color: brown_

_Eye color: grey_

_Skin tone: white_

_Height: 5'7_

_Weight: 125_

_Languages spoken: English, German, Spanish: _

_Hobbies: marksmanship_

Elvira grinned, hoping her 'list' of hobbies might scare the prince. She briefly wrote her contact and schooling information, and decided to leave it at that. Instead of mailing it back to her dad to give the service office, she decided to mail it herself. But first, she needed a picture. She took out her phone, and went to the camera setting. This would be fun. She wasn't wearing any makeup, and she didn't feel the need to put it on, even though she wasn't against it. Elvira messed up her hair, and scrunched up her face in an attempt of a smile. She added 'duck face' lips for good measure, and wrinkled her nose, twisting her lips into an almost pucker. She opened her eyes as wide as she could, and smashed her chin towards her chest to create some sort of a double chin, before snapping the photo. It was the worst selfie of all time. Elvira almost laughed out loud before a terrible thought occurred to her

The only thing worse than getting picked would be getting picked and having the entire country of Illea see this picture. She decided to take another one and send both. She stated at the camera, and frowned before taking the picture. Perfect. It was totally not princess material. She downloaded and printed out both pictures in on her laptop and Sasha's small portable printer, before sticking them in the included smaller pre stamped envelope to send back. As Elvira set out to mail it before any of her friends found out, she could only hope her plan would work.

…

Dorianne Davenport hugged her thin denim jacket closer, shivering in the cold autumn air of Waverly. Nancy, her foster 'mom', was passed out on the couch, spilled beer bottle on the floor next to her hand. The house was freezing cold, but they could barely afford the rent, much less heat. And it wasn't even winter. Dorianne wrapped her arms tighter around her scrawny body, and wished she was anywhere but here. Sure, she was Four, found on the streets by Nancy and William Davenport when she was a baby, seventeen years ago. William had convinced his barren wife to keep the soon-to-be-Eight, but when Dorianne was six, William had been killed in one of the frequent automobile accidents that plagued Waverly's slums. Nancy hadn't been the best of mothers since. But Dorianne provided a wage, most of which went to fuel Nancy's drug and alcohol addiction that had begun after her husband died, or was stolen by one of the numerous sketchy boyfriends who hung around the house that would never replace the kindness Dorianne had received from William.

Dorianne shot Nancy another look, and assumed it was safe to move. She quietly got up from the wall in the living room. The apartment only had one bedroom, so Dorianne had slept on the couch all her life, but after William died, it became a pile of blankets on the wall by the door, the only place Dorianne was allowed to go when she wasn't working at the factory. Cautiously, Dorianne went to the door. It was time to leave. She had managed to save up enough change from babysitting the kids in the apartment next to theirs. The family was wealthier, since they owned a small family restaurant, and the best thing a Four could do was own a small business. With the change, she had snuck out last night while Nancy and her current boyfriend where otherwise occupied, and gone to the drugstore and purchased some sleeping pills. When Nancy had given her money after they had gotten home from the factory they both worked at to buy a case of beer, Dorianne had, using the false ID Nancy made her use. She had crushed all the sleeping pills up and mixed them into all six of the beers. She had read on the label you weren't supposed to take more than two at a time, so there was just enough in the small bottle roughly two crushed up pills in each beer. Nancy had drunk three of them, so Dorianne figured she would be out for a while. Dorianne had about ten dollars left over from babysitting the neighbor's kids, and keeping half of the change whenever Nancy sent her to buy something. So it was time to leave. She would go see if Blake still liked her, since he had confessed it on the last day of tenth grade, the year she stopped going to school. Maybe she would stay the night, and tell him she was pregnant so they could get married. Or maybe she would just become an Eight. She just knew she had to get out of here. She put on her ratty sneakers, and went to the door, quietly slipping it open. She was just about to step out when she saw it. A large creamy envelope lying in front of the door, the words _Dorianne Skylar Davenport _printed on the front. Dorianne cautiously bent down and picked it up. With shaking fingers, she opened it, and swept her eyes over the first page.

_Our beloved prince, Ethan Schreave, is coming of age this month. As he ventures into this new part of his life, he hopes to move forward with a partner, to marry a true Daughter of Illéa._

Dorianne didn't bother reading the rest. Her eyes filled with tears, and an enormous amount of hope welled up in her heart. The Selection. It was her ticket out of here.

…

Taylor Hollister sighed as she got ready for her first escort of the week. She didn't have to stick around much longer here. She knew she could be doing much worse things than standing around looking pretty as 'dates' for celebrities who might need on, and she was fortunate to be a Seven and not an Eight selling her body instead of her looks, and she was lucky to be a professional escort, but it was probably the exact opposite of what she wanted to do. Taylor pulled the black silk dress of the hanger, and stepped into it, pulling it up, and snuggling it against her chest. She reached behind her, and pulled the zipper up as high it as it could go. She stepped outside the dressing room.

"Hey, Stace', could you zip this up for me?" She called to her best friend Stacey. The blonde nodded, and hurried over.

"Wow, Taylor-I mean Chanel- you look hot!" Stacey said. Taylor rolled her eyes at the use of the name she used for work.

"It's the dress." She said, kicking her bare foot out of the thigh high slit. "It does wonders!" She teased. Who would have guessed that Taylor-a by-the-book nerd and bibliophile who knows eleven languages would be prancing around on the arm of well-known Twos all night? But to do that, you couldn't act like a Seven-you had to act like a Two.

"Still, you're gorgeous." Stacey said. "Are you sure you don't want to enter the Selection?"

"I don't have time." Taylor said, fluffing her dark red-brown curls with her fingers. "I plan to become a Six soon."

"Why? So you clean other people's toilets? What's wrong with this?" Stacey said.

"Nothing. It's just not how I want to spend the rest of my life." Taylor grabbed hand mirror and a tube of lipstick. In the common room of Coates Girls Institution which trained girls to be professional dates, girls in flashy, revealing outfits set about transforming themselves into Two look-alikes, worthy of the red carpet. She applied a heavy coat of bright red to her lips.

"Would you prefer to be a hooker?" Stacey cried, anger bristling. "You would have been an Eight if you hadn't of been left here." Taylor winced. Stacey had been a prostitute for three years before coming here last year. There was no way she could enter the Selection.

"I'm sorry, Stace'." Taylor said. "I didn't mean-"

"I know. I just wish that I was in your shoes. Because I can't enter the Selection, and I really want to. But you can, and you don't." She brushed at her eyes, trying not to smudge her makeup.

"Stacey…" Taylor began.

"Will you enter for me?" Stacey begged. "You probably won't even be picked. But you at least try!"

"But what if I do?" Taylor said. Stacey was the master at persuading people, though, and her friend had already dashed away. She came back a moment later, breathless and clutching a piece of paper and a pen.

"Here's your form, T." She said. "You're my best friend. If you don't get picked, then nothing changes. If you do, you become a Three whenever you get eliminated. Think about it. You could do all the nerdy stuff you can't do here. Or as a Six."

"What if the Prince falls for me?"

"Just guarantee that he won't! Besides, you get paid."

"I don't know…"

"Come on, T. Please, for me?" Stacey did that puppy-dog thing with her eyes. Taylor sighed.

"Fine. But I probably won't even get picked." She snatched the form and pen out of Stacey's hand, and plopped down at one of the makeup chairs. "I stop by the service office after my date. Hopefully, I won't be late." She muttered a few choice words in French.

"You won't be sorry, T!" Stacey shrieked. "I know you're supposed to do this!" Without another word, she dashed off to get ready for a date of her own. Taylor shook her head, and began to fill out the form.

_Name: Taylor Marci Hollister_

_Age: 17_

_Province: Sota_

_Caste: Seven_

_Occupation: professional escort_

_Hair color: dark brown_

_Eye color: light blue_

_Skin tone: tan_

_Height: 5'9_

_Weight: 117_

_Languages spoken: French, English, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Latin, Ancient Greek, Mandarin Chinese, Russian, Slavic, and German._

At this point, Taylor stopped. She suddenly realized she had a very good chance of being selected. She looked up at her reflection in the mirror the girls used for makeup. Heart shaped face, dimples that Stacey was always jealous of, classic dark curls and blue eyes, with just enough freckles to be cute. She also spoke eleven languages, and had all the poise of a Two. The only thing working against her was that she was a Seven. Her stomach tightened with fear, and took a steadying breath. She had to do this for Stacey.

_Highest grade level completed: twelve, at Coates Girls Institution_

_Hobbies: Reading, learning, architecture, exercising, playing the flute and piano, painting, cooking, auto tech, gardening._

_Address:_ _Coates Girls Institution, Sota_

She scanned what she had written. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to be selected. Even if she was the first to go, she would still be a Three. Stacey and the other girls at the Institution would get some money, and all she had to do was show up. A line from her favorite poem drifted across her mind. _"But we loved with a love that was more than a love."_ Poe's "Annabel Lee" told a love story so powerful, that the word 'love' wasn't strong enough.

Taylor felt a yearning then, to fall in love. She didn't want to stand on the arm of someone who couldn't get a date to an event for the test of her life. She didn't even want to clean someone's toilets either. Heck, maybe she didn't even want to achieve her dream and be a Three. She just wanted to know what it was like to love and be loved. And the Selection was her chance. Taylor folded the form up, and slipped it into the tight bodice of her dress. She _would _be selected, and she _would _win.

…

Michaela Williams felt a little shiver of excitement run up her spine as the water in the ocean waves brushed over her toes. Even though it was fall, the temperatures in Sumner stayed fairly warm pretty much all year around. Still, it was significantly cooler than last week. She glanced over her shoulder at June, her ten year old sister.

"Do you want to swim?" She called, the ocean breeze whipping her blonde waves into frenzy.

"No way! It's too cold!" June yelled back.

"You always say that, even in summer!" Michaela teased.

"I do not!" June said, coming to her sister's side.

"Do too." Michaela elbowed her lightly in the ribs.

"Fine! I'll prove it, then." June pulled her tee shirt over her head, revealing her swimsuit.

Michaela laughed, and slipped out of her gray maxi dress. The sisters tossed their outer clothes into Michaela's bag, and she left it high enough up the beach where it wouldn't get wet. The girls ran into the water. June squealed as a large wave approached, and she turned her back against it. Michaela ducked under just a second before, submerging herself. She felt the momentum of the wave pull at her legs, and then came up to the surface. She slicked back her hair. The water _was _cold. She spotted June come up after her dousing, and slid under the water before her sister spotted her. She swam toward June, peeking her eyes open every now and then. When she got close, she grabbed June's ankle, producing a satisfactory scream from above. Michaela popped up, grinning.

"Don't do that!" June shrieked. "That scared me!"

"Exactly." Michaela said. "C'mon, it's freezing."

"You don't need to tell me twice." June said, following her as they waded toward shallower water and then onto the sand. Michaela produced two towels from her bag, giving one to June, and wrapped herself in the other.

"We should get back to the bakery soon." She hated to end the fun, but that job had fallen to her eight years ago. When Mom had slipped on the ice during a freak snowstorm Sumner rarely experienced. When her skull had cracked, and the surgery had gone wrong. Michaela had only been ten, then. She and June had gone to live with their grandmother, since their father had walked out before Michaela even knew him. She had died after a heart attack a few years later. Michaela hadn't reported that she was now an orphan, and taken Grandmother's bakery over before she was fifteen. She had been here four years, with only June as her family. The bakery, called Little Things, was doing well, but there never seemed to be enough money after paying the mortgage for Grandmother's old house, or the bakery's storefront. Free schooling was only provided for Sixes and Sevens, so Michaela had to pay for June's schooling. She had dropped out halfway through her sophomore year, since she had to run the bakery. She had tried to finish the year on her own with her textbooks, but the business had been too demanding, and she had neglected them. Her one and only romantic encounter had proved too time consuming and she had had to break it off. Still, Michaela loved her job. She wasn't about to let her past define her either.

"Aw, do we have to?" June whined.

"How else do you propose we make a living?" Michaela said. June hesitated.

"You could enter the Selection." She said.

"What do you think would happen to the bakery while I'm gone? More importantly, what would happen to _you _while I'm gone? There's no one to take care of you." Michaela was surprised by the venom in her voice.

"…sorry, Mickie." June said, hurt. "I just thought it would be cool. You could become, like, a princess, though."

Michaela sighed. June had made a bad situation worse. She clenched her teeth, trying not to let her anger get the better of her.

"You know what I would give to enter, June?" Michaela's hard feelings at her situation had crept back, and she couldn't push them away. "But I can't. Because no one bothered to stick around and take care of me. I had to become an adult at fourteen. I would practically kill to be in the Selection. But I can't. I own a business now, and I'm basically your mother."

"I-I didn't think about that." June whispered, tears welling in her eyes. She was sensitive. She always had been. Michaela knew she had hurt her sister, but couldn't bring herself to apologize. They walked the rest of the way home in silence.

The bakery was about a block away from the home Grandmother had lived in for her last ten years. June and Michaela had lived with her for four years, in the small, two bedroom white cottage. They had shared the guest bedroom then, but after Michaela had put her past behind her and moved forward, she had claimed Grandmother's bedroom as her own. The girls climbed up the steps to the charming southern style porch, where they paused so Michaela could get the keys out.

"Once we both take a shower and change, we'll head over." Michaela said. She had left it in the hands of their single employee, Kellie, but she had to get back. "Make sure to wash your hair. Salt water will give you terrible split ends." She said. June brushed by her and into the house without acknowledging she had heard. Michaela sighed, and stepped into the cool air conditioning after her. She went into her room and set her bag down. She heard the single shower turn on, and wished they had two bathrooms for the millionth time. She was sticky from salt water, sweaty, sandy and gross. She decided to leave the clean, carpeted bedroom before she got sand in her sheets or something. She walked down the short hallway that housed the bedrooms and bathroom, and into the main part of the house. The foyer was small, opening up to the kitchen and tiny dining area on the right, and the living room area across from the front door. It was small, but perfect for two people. Michaela shivered in the wet swimsuit, combined with the air conditioning. She heard June turn the shower.

"Finally." She muttered, going back to her bedroom to get some clean clothes. She intercepted June going to her own bedroom when she came out of hers.

"June, I'm sorry." She began.

"Micaela, I'm sorry." June said at the same time she did. Both girls grinned at each other, the simple mistake suddenly leading to their reconciliation.

"It's okay." Michaela said. "I was wrong to blow up at you like that."

"I shouldn't have brought it up." June said, bending over to twist her wet locks into a towel. "But hear me out. Enter the Selection. At the very least, nothing will happen and you won't get picked. But if you do, we'll get some money, and then we won't have to worry about the rent or anything anymore."

"June, that-"

"I know it will be hard. But Kellie and I can run the bakery. I can stay with her, or she can even stay here. Or we could rent it out or something to earn some extra money. We leave her alone at least once a week, already. We won't do any big orders, and we can even change the hours if we want I'm almost eleven, Mickie. It'll be fine. You deserve this."

"I can't." Michaela said.

"You can and you will, even if I have to enter for you!" June said. Michaela looked at her sister. She felt like she was looking at a younger version of herself. She wanted this; she wanted to enter so badly. But duty pulled her back. But now, things were different. She rubbed her temples, thinking.

"Okay." She said finally. "But let me shower first."

"Eeeee!" June squealed throwing her arms around Michaela. She quickly stepped back. "Ew, you're all wet and sandy."

"All the more reason to hug you!" Michaela teased, embracing her little sister. June struggled, giggling, but then hugged her back.

"Now hurry up. If you hurry, you can go to the service office before it closes!" June said skittering toward the kitchen. Michaela laughed, and stepped into the bathroom. June was almost more excited about this than her!

…

Cordelia Whitney knew this was her destiny. She clutched the letter with both hands, her freshly manicured jade colored nails digging lightly into the expensive paper. She would win the Selection, and become Queen of Illea. Plus, as a Two and a famous actress, the other girls didn't stand a chance. She began to fill out the form.

_Name: Cordelia Elizabeth Whitney _

_Age: 18_

_Province: Columbia_

_Caste: Two_

_Occupation: Actress_

_Hair color: brunette _

_Eye color: brown_

_Skin tone: tan_

_Height: 5'8_

_Weight: 124_

_Languages spoken: English, Russian, some French_

_Hobbies: Acting, modeling, playing saxophone, shopping, _

Cordelia finished writing her contact information and schooling information. She had finished high school in the best private school in Columbia, and was in the process of getting her theatre degree, but was also working on a new movie. She had no doubt the shy awkward Prince Ethan knew who she was. In fact, she had even met him at a fundraiser of sorts, and everyone already knew who she was after her most recent movie, where she played yet again the beautiful heroine. It would be a huge mistake for her not to be chosen as one of the candidates.

The only thing Cordelia didn't want to do was go to get her photo taken/ She was sure to be recognized, and would end up signing autographs and taking pictures for an hour. Maybe she could get special clearance. Cordelia walked through her palatial bedroom to one of the huge bay picture windows, overlooking the gardens and the heated Olympic sized swimming pool, enclosed with a glass façade. She pushed one of the buttons on her wall, summoning her maid to help her prepare for her picture. She contacted the family's driver through the intercom, requesting that he be ready in less than an hour to take her. When Isa arrived, Cordelia followed her into the closet, which was at least half the size of her bedroom and filled with expensive, designer clothing.

"What look did you have in mind, miss?" Isa asked, ruffling through the racks. Cordelia sighed.

"Something I haven't worn before. I'm sure my fans will recognize me." She said, flipping her dark ponytail over her shoulder. "But I want to look good, of course." Cordelia felt like rolling her eyes. Did she have to everything on her own? Isa pulled out a skin tight pair of white jeans and a royal blue blazer.

"How do you like this, miss?" She said softly.

"Ugh, that's awful! Blue looks terrible with my eyes. And jeans that tight will just make me look fat. You are so incompetent!" She snapped.

"I'm sorry, miss." Isa whispered, turning back toward the closet to hide her blush.

"Well, you should be." Cordelia said. Isa didn't reply and just rummaged through the hangers. After several minutes with still nothing to wear, Cordelia lost her patience. "How long does it take to find a simple outfit, Isa? It's not the red carpet, just a picture. It won't matter what I wear, anyway. I'm already guaranteed a spot." She yelled.

"How about this, then?" Isa held out a short fitted dress, in dark red.

"That will do, I guess. I'm telling my mother about this, and she'll have you fired. It shouldn't take half an hour to find me a dress."

"Oh, no, miss. Please don't! I'm so sorry, but I need this job!" Isa cried. "My daughter isn't yet a year old, and my husband-"

"Is that _any _of my concern?" Cordelia raised a thinly plucked eyebrow. "You still have to get me ready. Find some shoes and accessories, and plug in the curling iron. And hurry up!" She didn't wait for Isa's response, but snatched the dress from Isa's shaking hand and stalked to the bathroom. She quickly slipped it on, and stalked into the powder room. Isa handed her a pair of five inch wedges, in red. Cordelia sat at the vanity, strapping on the shoes. She ignored how tight the dress was on her thighs and bust. In her eyes, she didn't need to lose weight. Isa quietly began curling her hair. Cordelia studied her face in the mirror. Her face still held the childish look, especially her cheeks. Would she ever look grown up enough to play the love interest instead of the cute daughter, the child? Maybe once she won the Selection, she would.

…

**Opinions, thoughts? Did you love it, hate it? I was going to write an intro for Amber too, but I don't have time, but hopefully the next chapter will be up soon. My computer is still broken, but I have others I can use. Still, it's a hassle to move files around. **

**But we loved with a love that was more than love—But we loved with a love that was more than love— But we loved with a love that was more than love— But we loved with a love that was more th****Also, let me know if you have an age appropriate celebrity or picture I mind for your character! Here are the girls I have links for face claims or you told me they looked like a celebrity: Hana, Katherine, Elvira, Cordelia, Mackenzie, Lissa, and Taylor. For Adele, Tatiana, Felicity, Amelia, and Dorianne, I took liberties and found one, but if you like different ones, post it on your profile and let me know!**

**As for outfits and stuff, I have links for: Adele, Hana, Katherine, Elvira, Felicity, Cordelia, Michaela, Gracie, Meagan, Mackenzie, Lissa, Amber and Taylor. If you have them, but your character is not included in this list, or you want to make some, PLEASE let me know! Obviously, Guests, you can't do that. LINKS CAN ONLY BE POSTED ON YOUR PROFILE! **

**Thanks for reading!**

**-Shades**


	8. Highs and Lows and Nighttime Worries

**My computer is still broken, so I can't exactly access my files, but I can get them off the internet, thankfully! This is the last chapter of pre-Selection intros, but some characters will get their intros later! It also goes back to Nat and Nicole, and maybe even a princely point of view at the end!**

**I want to thank everyone for reviewing, following, and favoring, including: **EruditeAbnegationMockinjay, 4Love4Love4, mnbvcxz-xx, TheGirlWithTheRainbowTattoo, Demigod-Gallagher-Witch-Girl, theYAfangirl17, **and** delovlies **for reviewing; **TheGirlWithTheRainbowTattoo **and **Fairy not princess **for favoring and following, and shout out to **fairy not princess **for submitting two characters, and for answering all my annoying PM's about her goats, and reading about mine! Also, to **Demigod-Gallagher-Witch-Girl **for the advert in her awesome amazing story. Read it! **

**Without further ado, intros for Sirena (**theYAfangirl17)**and Amber (**4Love4Love4-** read her awesome Selection SYOC**) **and check up on Nat and Nicole!**

…

Sirena Mastrano was drunk. But she didn't care. It was better than nothing. She took another drink of her margarita, and flipped her red curls off her shoulders. She looked around the dimly lit bar, looking for another thrill, another boy, another _something. _ She blinked twice to clear her head, but it did little. Just last weekend, she and the rest of her volleyball team had won the whole college match up. Sure, no one really watched girls college volleyball, but still. After getting her latest modeling contract, she knew many more boys would, just to see her. It felt good being famous. It hurt when all the fame was over and volleyball was over for the year. It would be time to finish up her junior year of college, and focus on modeling full time, now with nothing to distract her. That meant starting again. _Or_, Sirena glumly thought,_ stopping. _Controlling what she ate until she craved the feeling of hunger, or pain. Controlling what she ate until she didn't eat anything. Until something threw her.

It could be anything from a bad break-up, to a heated group text with her girl-friends, to a bad twist in a stupid television show. When she would skip town and get a five star hotel room and spend the night eating away her feelings and then getting rid of it with a simple trick while leaning over the toilet bowl.

The whole prospect brought on an awful feeling of dread. It was no wonder she was excited to be hung-over tomorrow. This was a low, and it was nearly killing her. She had almost committed suicide this time last year. _Maybe I should quit. _ Sirena mused, swirling what was left of her drink in the glass. She didn't get farther than that. Quit volleyball, modeling, starving herself and binge eating, drinking? She was always looking for the next thrill, and when there wasn't any, life wasn't worth living. Her friends always thought of her as a bubbly fun-loving person, but that only seemed to be the case during her 'highs'. Right now, though, she was at an all time low. And not even alcohol in excess was helping.

Sirena gulped down the last of her drink, suddenly needed to be alone. It was becoming too much. She slipped off her barstool, and grabbed her purse. Her heels clicked on the floor as she hurried to the bathroom. Thankfully, it was empty. She went to the last stall, and locked the door behind her. She pulled down the toilet seat cover and sat down. For once, she wasn't going to purposely vomit up the contents of her stomach. She had better methods to get rid of the pain. A good cry might do the trick. As soon as she sat down, the tears came, accompanied by gulping sobs. Sirena unrolled a wad of toilet paper, and tried to mop of the tears, but only succeeded in smearing her makeup around.

When she finally ran out of tears, Sirena took a steadying breath, and exited the stall. She walked to the sink, gripping the counter for support. _I can do this. _She told herself. _I have to get over this. I can't live the rest of my life on a roller coaster of highs and lows. _ She turned on the water, and dipped her hands, letting the water wash away the remaining streaks of mascara and lipstick that somehow hadn't made it onto the tissue with the tears. She looked up, finding her face a wreck. Red, swollen eyes, puffy cheeks, not to mention the raccoon mask her eyeliner had created, and the blotchy foundation and blush, and lipstick. She lowered her face closer to the sink, and filled her hands with water before splashing the water onto her face. She repeated this several times, and then wiped off any trace of her breakdown with several paper towels. She studied her reflection in the mirror. Definitely couldn't face the world again like this. Without makeup, she felt almost naked. Besides that, her carefully curled hair was limp. Her dress, though, looked fine. One wouldn't think a tall redhead could pull off a tight fitting bright orange cocktail dress, but Sirena could make any dress work for her.

From her purse, Sirena took out her blush and foundation compact, her mascara and eyeliner, and a tube of lipstick. She began powdering her pale cheeks. Usually she wore more, but she was just going to call a cab and go home and go to bed. Things might be better in the morning. She brushed blush over her high set cheek bones. It wouldn't do to be seen like this, as the star forward on the Midston University girls volleyball team, a well known model, and the daughter of the Midston governor and a retired supermodel. Besides, Mom was pressuring her to stop having fun and start looking for a husband. Her twentieth birthday was less than two months away. Sirena frowned. She didn't need a man to break her heart. She was a feminist, in all ways. Except she washed her hair, wore a bra, and did her makeup. That was just the essence of a woman, and she didn't see why other women didn't, just to promote so called equality. Women were supposed to be women, not men. And they didn't need more rights then them either. Sirena had her share of breakups, but none of the relationships had been the real deal anyway. She finished her eyeliner, and flicked mascara over her lashes. She dabbed on a little neutral lipstick, and moved to stuff everything back into her purse, when an envelope spilled out, her name written on the front. Sirena raised her eyebrows, trying to remember what it was for, but the alcohol fogged her brain. As she ripped at the envelope, and read the first sentence of one of the two papers, it all came back.

_Our beloved prince, Ethan Shreve, is coming of age this month._

The Selection.

She had stuffed the letter in her purse yesterday before leaving to go meet a friend, since it looked official. She read the rest of the letter, and glanced at the second sheet of paper. The form. For a moment, Sirena didn't know what to do. Flush it down the toilet? Wad it up and throw it away like a paper towel? Fold it back up and leave it in her purse? Fill it out?

_Fill it out? What am I thinking? _Sirena demanded mentally of herself. _Me, a freaking princess? _She surprised herself by laughing. Never in a million years would she have considered it. And now she just stood here with the form in her hand in a crummy bathroom at a bar laughing like a crazed idiot. The sounds coming from within her didn't even sound like her own laughter. The kind of laughing that bordered on crying. Sirena shook her head, and took a deep breath to calm down. Surely she was drunk.

The next thing she knew, she had found an old pen in her purse, and was kneeling on the grimy tile with the form on the sink counter, and she _was filling it out._

_Name: Sirena Blair Mastrano_

_Age: 19_

_Province: Midston_

_Caste: Two_

_Occupation: Model and forward on the Midston University girls volleyball team_

_Hair color: red_

_Eye color: brown_

_Skin tone: fair_

_Height: 5'10_

_Weight: 134_

_Languages spoken: English, French_

_Hobbies: volleyball, fashion, hair, makeup, feminism, parties_

_Highest grade level completed: Currently a junior at Midston University_

Sirena wrote her address and contact information, and she was done before she had even realized what she had done. She checked the time on her phone, but it was nearly one in the morning. The Service Office would definitely be closed by now. Oh well. She haphazardly folded the form up and stuffed it back in her purse. Maybe this wasn't so crazy after all.

…

Amber Autumns stared at the boy in front of her. John quickly averted his gaze, his cheeks red. Amber could only hear the thumping of her heart, and the reverberation of his words in her head. _I don't think we should be doing this anymore. _ _I don't think we should be doing this anymore. _ _I don't think we should be doing this anymore. _ She tried to reply, but couldn't get the words out. She cleared her throat.

"W-what does that mean?" She managed. John shuffled his feet awkwardly.

"I wanna break up." He said quietly. Amber closed her eyes, as if she had been physically slapped.

"Why?" She whispered. John shrugged. She felt anger growing, replacing her pain. "Am I that embarrassing? I agreed that we could date in secret already."

"Amber, I'm sorry, I just-"

"Save it, John. For some girl who wants to hear it. Didn't you know how much I loved you?" Her temper was out of control now, but she wanted him to understand. "Did you?" She demanded. "Did you change your mind after kissing me yesterday? Because I didn't change mine." Her voice had grown to a yell. "Did you ever love me at all, or did you just date me because you felt bad for me?"

Amber didn't give John a chance to reply. "Didn't you know how much I loved you?" She repeated, in a whisper now. The shock of the announcement had gotten the best of her, and she was on the verge of tears. "I gave you everything." She choked out. "But I wouldn't break the law and have sex with you, so you break up with me. What a…" She called him several choice names that her parents would blanch at. John flinched, and tried to say something, but Amber spun around and stalked off, jamming the heels of her hands against her ears. She ran away from the stupid park bench they had just been at, scrubbing at her eyes to wipe away the tears.

What was so wrong with her? Why had the kids always picked on her, even now that she was seventeen? Ever since kindergarten, they had always said no one ever love her. Well, she had certainly been smug. And an idiot for thinking John loved her. Apparently not. After dinner last that night, when John had been walking her home, he had grabbed her hand and pulled her into the portico of an old apartment building and kissed her until she was senseless. He asked her to come to a hotel with him, staring at her like she was all he would ever need. Amber had refused then, but he hadn't seemed that mad. And today, he broke up with her. Amber slowed to a walk, catching sight of the Service Office of Dominica. A line of girls waited outside of it. Amber stopped short, formulating an idea. The Selection. Of course. She broke into a run again, this time toward home. Maybe nothing would happen, but maybe they would. Maybe she would get chosen. Even if she didn't win, when she came home, no one would _dare _bully her. Because she would be famous. She was already a Two, so she didn't need the money or anything, but just the prestige. Amber dashed up the front steps of their dwelling, and into her room, not even bothering to check if anyone was home or say high. She found her form under a pile of fashion sketches she had done yesterday. Maybe her fashion designing would take off after the Selection. Maybe she could even become a singer like she always dreamed off. Amber pulled out a pen with bright purple ink, and began to write. John was nothing to her anymore!

_Name: Amber Elizabeth Autumns_

_Age: 17_

_Province: Dominica_

_Caste: Two_

_Occupation: fashion designer_

_Hair color: red-brown_

_Eye color: amber-brown_

_Skin tone: fair_

_Height: 5'5_

_Weight: 106_

_Languages spoken: English, French, Latin_

_Hobbies: Horseback riding, watching movies, creative writing, signing, fashion designing_

_Highest grade level completed: Junior in high school_

Amber quickly brushed her hair and added a touch of mascara, and ran downstairs.

"I'm going to the Service Office to get my picture taken for the Selection." She said, finding only her twelve year old sister Elise downstairs. "Where are Mom and Dad?"

"Mom's at the meeting with the record label, and Dad is with her. And why? What about John?" Elise said. For some reason, she was obsessive over Amber's relationship.

"What about him?" Amber said a hint of bitterness in her voice. "He broke up with me. That's why I'm entering the Selection." She rolled her eyes at Elise's shocked expression and quickly left.

This all would work out-somehow.

...

Nicole slipped quietly into her and Nat's bedroom. Nat was crying again, but she stopped as soon as Nicole stepped in, and gave a serious of violent sniffs. Nicole sighed, and padded quietly to the closet. Nat rolled over on her side, facing away from Nicole. Nicole sighed again, and shimmied out of her robe. In the dark of the room, she threw on a pair of underwear and the pair of sweatpants and long sleeved tee shirt she slept in. She unwrapped her hair from the towel turban, and squeezed out a little access water, and crept toward her bed, and lay down, the darkness of the room stifling. The wind buffeted the window and Nicole snuggled down further into her quilt.

It had been nearly a week since she and Nat had gone to the Service Office, and Nat had encountered Ben. She had told Nicole that night not to worry, that everything would blow over in a few days, but it hadn't. Ben had refused to speak to her at work for two days until she confronted him in the tack room, and apologized, but he had brushed by her, telling her that nothing she said would get them back together, and confirming the worst. Nat had come home early, saying she was feeling sick, and had cried herself to sleep every night, and barely said anything or ate anything.

She had avoided Nicole, and Nicole knew why. She had been the one who pressured her sister to enter in the first place, when Nat hadn't even wanted to. Now, unless Nat actually got picked, her relationship with Ben was ruined. Maybe Ben would forgive her tomorrow, after the girls were announced on the Report, and Nat wasn't one of them. Maybe it would take a few days or weeks, but she hoped they could rekindle their relationship.

Nicole felt her stomach tightening with the familiar thoughts of the Report that would seal her fate. If she was picked, everything would work out. If not…well, then she was doomed to work in the factory the rest of her life. Even though she was just two castes from being a Two and a professional ballerina, a huge gap existed between the Twos and Threes and Nicole's own caste, the Fours. Usually, money was a barrier. Twos were the famous people, Threes were the upper class wealthy, Fours and some Fives were middle class, while poorer Fives and below were the poor. If Nicole wasn't picked, then she knew everything would most definitely not be alright. She sighed-again-and waited for sleep to take her. As usual, it didn't. She tossed and turned for at least an hour before finally slipping into a light sleep. Tomorrow, her fate would be sealed.

…

Nat heard Nicole tossing and turning, and tried to fall asleep herself, but she just couldn't. She couldn't wait for tomorrow. There was no way she would get picked out of all the girls in Kent, and maybe once Ben realized it, she could talk to him and explain the mistake, and he would forgive her. Even if they didn't get back together, she still sought his forgiveness. She wiped her nose on her pillow, evident of her recent and becoming habitual before-bed cry. She thought back to almost a week ago. She thought Ben would be mad, and threaten a break up, but then, at work, he had given her the silent treatment. There was no way to race, unless he took her. She didn't have a car, and would be chained to her bed and grounded the rest of her life if her parents found out. She had found her chance in the tack room one day, and had blocked the door.

_"Ben, I'm so sorry." _ Nat had said. "_It was all a horrible mistake. Nicole wanted me to sign up. I didn't mean to hurt you or anything. I'm not even going to get picked. I'm so so unbelievably-" _ Ben had cut her off then, turning around with a saddle, and a scowl on his face.

_"Don't be, Nat. Nothing you say or do will get us back together." _He had practically growled, striding towards her without making eye contact. Nat had instinctively stepped by to let him pass.

_"So we're broken up, then?" _ She had called after him. He had snorted, and answered without turning.

_"Yup. Have fun with the Prince." _He had said rudely. Until then, Nat hadn't even realized she was single. And it hurt. Not only did Ben hate her, but her racing career was over. She closed her eyes, tears spilling over again onto her cheeks. Maybe, just maybe, tomorrow would be better. Maybe, Ben would forgive her.

…

Prince Ethan Shreve kicked back his blankets, and got out of bed, stalking to the window. Tomorrow, he would meet his future wife. And thirty four other girls. What if he didn't love any of them? Andrew, his brother, had said that he loved his wife Christine from the first moment he saw her. What if his intended was not one of the Selected? Why did he even have to do this? Something like this would be easy for his brothers. Wesley and Andrew were outgoing and loud. Andrew was a scoundrel, and Wesley was a joker. But Ethan wasn't. He could barely talk to strangers without stuttering, and every time he saw a pretty face, his ears turned red, and he could barely speak. Besides, he wasn't the heir. Andrew was. Unless he were to die, like his uncle, maybe the girls wouldn't want to just be princesses. He didn't have the whole king thing going for him. His parents weren't going to step down for several years, maybe after Wesley's Selection.

Ethan stared out through the window, thinking. Somewhere out there was his wife, and he would meet her tomorrow, whether he wanted to her not. He didn't even know what he wanted in a woman. His maids were all older, married women, since he could barely speak to the younger fairer ones. Did he like blondes? Brunettes? Redheads? Would he like someone shy like him, or his complete opposite? Would anyone actually love him for him, or just for his being a prince?

It was obvious he wasn't going to get any sleep tonight.

…

**Ehh, not so creative on Ethan's part now. Anyway, next chapter will be the announcements, through Nat and Nicole's POVs, and McKenzie's. Maybe some other girls. Let me know what you think, and also, more importantly, who is your favorite (besides your own character, obvs.) so I don't eliminate them. I'm going to go ahead and close the syoc aspect, and just add some names to be eliminated first. If you were planning on submitting a character though, let me know please, and you still can!**


	9. The Selected

zanzibaby, theYAfangirl17, mnbvcxz-xx, Demigod-Gallagher-Witch-Girl, 4Love4Love4 **Thanks for reviewing! This chapter is the revealing of the Selected. I was already going to include Mackenzie and Nat and Nicole, but based on who reviewed already (though I didn't give you much time :P) I choose Elvira, Hana, Dorianne, and Amelia to also do a quick POV from, since they were liked the most! Enjoy!**

…

Mackenzie Parker would have exactly two minutes after hearing the names of the Selected before she had to go on camera again. And, to top it all off, she was entered in the Selection. As the host of the Angeles News Station, all eyes would be on her after the Report that would change the lives of thirty five girls. Angeles, as the capital of Illea, their news channel was the best funded and the most watched news channel, which made the host, Mackenzie, one of the most well known girls in Illea.

By law, no one else could broadcast during the Report, not that anyone would watch another channel anyway. Mackenzie sat nervously at the desk where she reported at. The teleprompter was blank, and they were on the last commercial break before a quick segment and then tune off for the Report. Mackenzie was dressed in a hot pink dress, as usual, complete with a short hem and low neckline. The hair and make-up person buzzed annoyingly around her, spritzing her shoulder length strawberry blonde hair with hairspray and re-curling segments. Someone else was pressing powder on her forehead and dabbing on lip gloss at the same time. Usually, Mackenzie would be snapping at them, and telling them to hurry up, but tonight, she was too nervous.

Initially, she wasn't going to bother with the Selection. What was the point? She was only eighteen, but everyone knew who she was. Daddy was already rich, and Mak was too. She had the best job in Illea, unless she wanted to be an actress who had a few hit films and then messed up at the red carpet and was never hired again. The only thing left was to be Queen. Unfortunately, she had been only fourteen when the heir to the throne, Prince Andrew, had had his Selection. So she had settled for the next best thing-princess. Of course, she hadn't just changed her mind over night. Steven had been so close to asking her out, or so she thought. But, then he had to ask her now former best friend out instead. So entering the Selection hadn't been so hard after that. Besides, Daddy had practically begged her, his only daughter, to enter. He kept saying that it would be what Mom wanted, and that she was so beautiful and lovely that it wouldn't be hard for her. He was right, of course.

Mackenzie was bordering on freaking out, though. As the week had dragged on, she realized how much she desperately wanted to win the Selection, and the only way to do that was to be picked. She didn't know how to handle her reaction, though. If she wasn't picked, she would probably break down, and still have to report. If she was, she would probably scream and scream and then start crying. Either way, she would end up embarrassing herself. She had asked the management if she could take tonight off, but they wanted her perspective on the story.

She was jerked back to reality as the cameraman's voice interrupted her thoughts.

"And, we're live…now!" He said. Mackenzie quickly pasted a toothpaste commercial smile on her face.

"We're just a few minutes from seeing who the thirty five lucky girls are who will come here to Angeles and compete for Prince Ethan's heart and the chance to be queen." Mackenzie said, eyes glued to the teleprompter. "Make sure to tune back in after the Report to see a overview of the Selected, and exclusive interviews from the royal family."

She said her closing words, and then looked back at her notes while the camera cut off. Mackenzie dropped the smile quickly, and got up.

"Can we get the Report on, please?" She demanded, pushing aside the hair and make-up crew. She stood directly in front of the TV that was in the studio, not caring if anyone else could see.

This was it. The lives of thirty five girls were about to change. She just hoped she would be one of them.

The Illean flag, waving cheesily in the breeze showed up on the Screen, and Mackenzie heard the familiar strains of the anthem. She rolled her eyes. "Cut the crap, just get to the Selected." She muttered. She never had had much patience.

King Jackson appeared. "Good evening, my fellow Illeans. Tonight marks a special event in the life of my second son, Ethan. I know all you young ladies who entered can't wait to hear who the lucky thirty five are, so I'll keep my announcements brief. We still have no regained control of the province of Yukon, although there have no casualties on our side yet. We still don't have word on how the citizens of the province are faring. The provinces of Atlin and Sonage, which border Yukon, are doing all they can to provide aid for the cut off Illeans. We hope that you keep the people of Yukon in your thoughts and prayers." The king finished and stepped down, and two of the advisors stepped to the podium to give an announcement about taxes and finances and stuff like that.

Mackenzie tuned out the boring news, and instead concentrated on Prince Ethan. There was no doubt he was attractive. Dark hair, steely hazel eyes and just enough beard stubble to make him a total hottie. He looked nervous though. His face was pale, and his hands were clenched, and he kept looking around. While everyone was watching the advisors, his brothers were taking the advantage and teasing him. Andrew, the eldest, looked more like his mother, with chestnut hair. He leaned toward Ethan and whispered something in his ear, grinning. Ethan scowled, and Wesley, the younger stifled a laugh as he elbowed Ethan, and then put on a serious face. Andrew and Wesley kept tormenting Ethan until Christine, Andrew's wife, noticed, and restrained her husband. The sister, Princess Michelle, kicked Wesley's calf with her red high heel, and he kicked her back.

The squabble went on for at least a few minutes until Queen Francesca noticed and put a stop to it by clearing her throat. Immediately, all four of her kids stopped and focused their attention on the Master of Events, who was saying things about specials on meeting the girls and their lives at the palace. Then, he introduced the official interviewer on the Report, Taren Granger. He stepped confidently onto the set, his reddish brown hair contrasting with his dark gray suit and deep red tie.

"Thank you, sir." He said to the Master of Events. "I know you all are on your toes waiting to see who the Selected are, but I'm going to drag it out a little longer. He turned to the King. "Good evening, your majesty." He said. King Jackson nodded, smiling for once. "How do you feel about another son doing some growing up today?" Taren asked. The king laughed slightly.

"Old." He said, chucking, prompting laughs from his wife and children and the gathered advisors. Christine and Andrew gave each other loving looks, and Queen Francesca gave fifteen year old Wesley a one armed hug. Taren laughed.

"Queen Francesca, any advice for your son?" Taren asked, extending the microphone to the chestnut haired beauty. She smiled at Ethan.

"Don't be deceived by appearances. A beautiful girl may not have a beautiful heart." She said, squeezing Ethan's hand. Mackenzie snorted, and rolled her eyes. The Queen was beautiful, and that's why King Jackson had chosen her.

"Any words of wisdom to the Selected who are now experiencing what you did, Princess Christine?" Taren said. The blonde dimpled, and exchanged another cute look with Andrew.

"Follow your heart. Just because he's a Prince doesn't mean he's the one for you." She said. "But he might be." She added, giving a quick wink to the camera.

"What about you, Prince Andrew?"

"Don't make your final choice if you can't decide." Andrew said. "Wait until you know."

"Was that in your case?" Taren asked. Andrew laughed and shook his head.

"I knew from the moment I saw her picture." He said. Mackenzie saw Ethan's nervous look turn to practically terrified.

"Anything you would like to add, Prince Wesley, Princess Michelle?" Taren asked.

"Be yourself, to the Selected and to my brother." Michelle said, her dark curls framing her face as she turned to Ethan.

"Add save some for me." Wesley added off-handedly. Everyone giggled at this.

"Wise words, from all of you." Taren said. "And with that, join me in congratulating the following daughters of Illea!"

The screen changed to the national emblem. In the upper right-hand corner, there was a small box with Ethan's face, to see his reactions as the pictures went across the monitor. Taren had a set of cards in his hands, ready to read out the names of the girls whose lives were about to change. Mackenzie felt her earlier nerves return, and she felt eyes of the crew on her, and bit her lip nervously.

"Starting with our capital province, Angeles…" Taren began, looking at the card in his hand, and grinning. "A well known beauty." He paused for drama, and the set of the Angeles New Station went absolutely silent. "Miss Mackenzie Parker of Angeles News, a Two."

Mackenzie barely registered the fact that her picture was on the screen, and that Ethan smiled a hint of a smile, and Wesley gave a wolf-whistle. Then she realized it.

She was in the Selection.

As predicted, she let out a scream of happiness, and jumped to her feet. She began jumping up and down, so she missed the next several girls. Everyone in the studio began clapping and congratulating her and her cell phone buzzed with text messages and rang with phone calls. Mackenzie started to cry out of sheer joy, and the makeup crew rushed over so she wouldn't ruin her makeup. Mackenzie was on her way to being a princess!

…

Nicole sucked in a breath, as the announcements began.

"Miss Mackenzie Parker of Angeles News, a Two." Taren said. A familiar picture of a girl with strawberry blonde hair popped up on the television. Next to her, Nat wrinkled her nose.

"It's that dumb girl on the news. Man, I hate her." Nat said. Nicole relaxed a little. The old Nat was starting to come back.

"I think she's hot." Jason said, before Eva shushed him. Nicole turned back to the television.

"Miss Elly Olsen of Bonita, another Two." Taren said. A picture of girl with dark blonde hair and olive toned skin appeared. Ethan's face didn't change. In fact, he appeared to be shaking.

"Somehow, I don' think he likes her." Nat said sarcastically. He chuckled to herself.

"Miss Erica Carter of Zuni, a Six." A girl with brown curls and blue eyes showed up. Ethan's eyebrows crinkled for a moment, as did Nicole's. _A Six? She won't last long. _

"Miss Saskia Buchannan of Honderagua, a Six." At the brunette's picture, Ethan's tiny smile faded.

"Miss Autumn Hunter of Paloma, a Six, yet again." Taren said. Another brunette appeared, but Ethan remained neutral.

"Miss Megan Stewart of Panama, our fourth Six." A small blue-eyed blonde showed up. Ethan smiled a little. Nat rolled her eyes.

"What's with all the Sixes?" She complained. Nicole shrugged.

"And from Dominica, Miss Aurora Clarisse Bande, a Two." Taren said. A blonde girl Nicole had seen in many movies appeared.

"I know her!" Lea cried. Eva shushed her.

"Normally, we would announce Yukon now, but we will have the final Selected and dedication at the end. Just a reminder, a random province will be chosen, and a girl randomly chosen from that province." Taren said. "Moving on, from Baffin, Miss Alana Harowski, a Three." A picture of a girl with auburn barrel roll curls appeared a sarcastic smile on her face. Ethan didn't seem to like or dislike her, but his smile had slipped, Nicole noticed.

"Miss Alexina Jane Lee of Ottaro, a Three." A picture of a pretty New Asian girl appeared. Ethan didn't smile, but gave a terse nod.

" Miss Ava Rotham of Hansport, a Four." Taren said. A picture of a girl with obviously dyed cinnamon colored hair appeared.

"Looks like someone forgot to dye their eyebrows." Nat added, smirking. Nicole looked again, and noticed the girl had blonde eyebrows. She looked at the monitor, and saw that Ethan still looked unhappy.

"Miss Audra Jepsen of Lakedon, a Seven." Taren said. A girl with light brown hair appeared. Ethan's neutral face turned to a slight frown. Queen Francesca was wrinkling her brow at the prospect of a Seven.

"She looks like a walrus." Nat commented.

"You always see the best in everyone, don't you?" Jason joked. Nat shrugged.

"She does."

"You're right." Jason agreed.

"From Likely, Miss Ruby Larson, a Five." A girl with red hair and green eyes appeared. Ethan didn't react to her.

"Miss Lilly Gaston of Clermont, another Five." Taren said, as a scrawny girl with brown hair and green eyes appeared.

"Poor guy. He doesn't like any of them" Nat said.

"Miss Juliella Alonzo of Allens, a Four." A brunette with glasses appeared. Ethan didn't cheer up.

"What kind of name is Juliella?" Nat scoffed. Nicole realized just how bitter her twin was about the whole thing.

"From Fennley, Miss Adele Roxanne Warren, a Five." A picture of a pretty girl with short blonde curls and red lipstick appeared. Ethan finally cracked a smile. Nicole barely noticed. After Fennley would be Atlin, then Kent. Then Nicole would know.

"Miss Gracelyn Luna of Atlin, a Three." Gracelyn was grinning in her picture, with wavy light golden blonde hair. Ethan's smile grew a little more, but his eyes were sparkling.

"Oooh, he likes her!" Eva pointed out. Everyone shushed her.

"Kent's next." Mom whispered to her. Nicole felt Nat slide her hand into hers, and squeeze it. It seemed to take an unnecessarily long time for Taren to speak. Nicole squeezed her eyes shut, but Nat kept hers glued to the Screen.

"From Kent…" Taren began. Nicole felt like throwing up. "Miss Natalia Gwen Rosalyn, a Four."

Nicole opened her eyes just long enough to see her spitting image smiling on the Screen, and Prince Ethan still looking somewhat happy before tears blurred her vision. She heard Nat scream and then everyone was jumping around, and Eva and Lea were squealing like piglets. Nat jumped off the couch, letting go of Nicole's hand.

"Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!" Nat kept saying, jumping up and down. Nicole sank back on the couch. She had tried so hard. She _wanted _this. She _deserved _it. Nat didn't even care. _Maybe that's what I get for messing up her life._ Nicole thought. _But now she messed up mine._ She shook off her tears, and put on a brave smile. Looking upset would be bad. She would just have to pretend to be happy. For Nat.

…

Amelia Wilde felt herself start to shake. Sixteen girls had already been announced. If she didn't get picked…there wasn't much hope for future love life.

"From Whites, Miss Tatiana Rose Sarvex, a Three." A girl with curly light red-brown hair that set off blue eyes and pale skin appeared. Prince Ethan seemed to like her, but the boy seemed so nervous, it was hard to tell.

"From Tammins, Miss Melissa Tiffany Dove, a Seven." A really pretty girl with long dark blonde curls appeared a warm smile on her face. Ethan perked up a little.

"From Sumner, Miss Michaela Williams, a Four." Another gorgeous girl appeared, with golden blonde almost beachy curls and light green eyes. Apparently, Ethan liked what he saw.

"Miss Felicity Mae Weaver of St. George, a Five." A girl with auburn waves showed up. Ethan kept smiling, so good sign.

"Miss Amber Elizabeth Autumns of Denbeigh, a Two." Taren said. Amelia gulped as she took in the girl with reddish brown hair and a determined smile showed up. After Midston, her fate would be sealed.

"Miss Sirena Blair Mastrano of Midston, a Two." A redhead Amelia had seen in clothing adds before showed up. She clutched her fists, and shut her eyes. This was it. She felt Zach pat her shoulder in comfort, and strained her ears.

"From Carolina, Miss Amelia Cressida Wade, a Three." Amelia opened her eyes, and barely saw herself and Prince Ethan smiling before Zach and her mom tackled her with hugs. Amelia started crying right off, and a tingle spread through her body as the realization dawned. For some reason, she heard Taren's next words very clearly.

"From Labrador, Miss Erin Rusk, a Two and a cadet in the Illean Military Academy."

Amelia immediately stopped crying, and gasped. Erin. Ex best friend turned enemy. The girl who betrayed her and cheated with her boyfriend behind Amelia's back smiled on the TV. It was too much.

Winning the Selection suddenly had new meaning.

…

Dorianne glanced over at Nancy. Her foster mother commented on Erin's light brown skin as she was announced. Dorianne cringed. She hadn't run away yet, but she would tonight if she wasn't announced.

"Miss Taylor Marci Hollister, from Sota, a Seven." Taren said. A gorgeous girl with warm blue eyes, dark hair, and dimples appeared on the television.

"And from Waverly we have…" Taren began.

"You didn't enter, did you?" Nancy suddenly asked. Dorianne opened her mouth to answer, but let out a scream instead.

"Miss Dorianne Skylar Davenport, a Four." Taren said. Dorianne screamed again, and was acutely aware of the phone ringing. Nancy dropped the bottle of wine she was drinking, and it shattered on the floor. Dorianne covered her mouth with her hands as joyful sobs spilled out. Nancy stood up, looking mad. Really mad.

"Don't you dare hurt me." Dorianne surprised herself by whispering. "Or I'll tell the King when I get there, and he'll arrest you." Nancy stopped dead in her tracks.

Dorianne realized her life hadn't just changed. It had transformed.

…

Hana's hand was being squeezed to death by Diana as her friend dealt with nerves.

"I can't stand this anymore!" Diana cried. "Why does Belcourt have to be so far down?"

"Shh, they're announcing another one." Hana said.

"And from Bankston, Miss Brynlee Christine Harris, a Five." Brynlee had sandy blonde curls and blueish eyes, but it was hard to tell. Ethan kept his small smile in place.

"She's really pretty." Hana said.

"You've said that about everyone!" Diana said, tapping her feet impatiently.

"They're all supposed to pretty, though." Hana defended. "Now hush up. Only a few more."

"From Columbia, Miss Cordelia Elizabeth Whitney, a Two." A girl with a round face and dark brown hair appeared.

"It's that actress!" Diana cried. "I love her! I would kill to get her autograph."

"You might, if you're chosen." Hana reminded her.

"From Dakota, Miss Cora Abel, a Three." A girl with white-blonde hair and a gentle smile appeared. Ethan nodded, a bit his lip.

"Oh, shoot. We're next!" Diana cried, just about breaking Hana's hand.

"From Belcourt, Miss Hana Andromeda Piper, a Three." Taren said. She and Diana screamed at the same time, and then both started to cry. Well, Hana couldn't decide whether to laugh or cry, but Diana was sobbing. She looked at Hana, anger in her eyes.

"I have to go." She said, putting on her flats, and grabbing her purse. Hana heard the rest of her family running up to her room.

"Don't you want to watch the rest?" She asked.

"What's the point?" Diana said miserably. "I don't think I can make it to the mall tomorrow either." She said.

"Why not?" Hana asked as Taren announced someone else. But Diana was gone. Hana barely heard the congratulations as her parents and brothers and sister in law bestowed on her. She was in the Selection, but had lost her best friend.

…

Elvira paced around her room as a girl named Hana was announced. Her bunkmates kept telling her to stop, because they wanted to see.

"I wanna see these losers." Sasha said.

"Not to mention his Royal Hotness." Pauline added. Elvira rolled her eyes. They didn't know that she had been forced to sign up.

"Miss Kathrine Evelynn Page from Calgary, a Four." Taren said, revealing a slightly plain brunette. However, Prince Ethan grinned wider than he had for a while.

"Why do they even have this?" Kimberly said, getting up from her chair. "It's so dumb." Elvira vaguely recalled that Kimberly was from Calgary, and couldn't hide her smile.

"From Hudson Miss Summer Lee, a Five." A girl with caramel colored hair appeared. Prince Ethan wasn't smiling so big anymore.

"And lastly, from Sonage, we have…" Taren drew it out. "Miss Elvira Entrinken, a Two, and private in our military." He stuttered a little over her last name, and a second later, Elvira's picture showed up. _The _picture. Elvira surprised herself by cursing, and then heard the guffaws of her bunkmates.

"Why that picture?" Marcelle cried, tears streaming down her face from laughter.

"Because my dad made me enter and it was the only thing I could do to stop it!" Elvira cried, suddenly feeling very dizzy. The next thing she knew, she hit the ground in a faint.

…

Nat didn't know what to think. She just knew she was in the Selection. She had barely anytime to think as they watched the rest of the girls in a blur. She had missed Ethan's reaction to her, but so far, he seemed to like Gracelyn and Katherine the best.

"And now, we will choose the province and the girl to honor our captive citizens in Yukon." Taren was saying, as someone handed him a small black box.

"Our King will do the honors. It here, all thirty four provinces, besides Yukon, are written twice. Once we choose one, a girl will be randomly selected. He held the box out to King Jackson, he dipped his hand in, and came out with a small folded piece of paper.

"In honor of Yukon, we will be selecting two girls from Kent." He said.

"Oh no, I hope it's no one I hate." Nat said quickly. "Like that Marjorie girl. Or Carrie Ann."

"Ben's sister?" Nicole asked quietly. Nat nodded. Taren now had a larger box, and held it out to the Queen.

"Queen Francesca, the fate of one girl lies with you." He joked, as she took the box. "It may be a moment while we find her picture. The Screen cut back to the half on Ethan and the royal family, and half for a picture of a girl.

"Okay." The Queen said, handing Taren a piece of paper. He handed it to someone off screen, and for a moment, there was an awkward silence as he silently communicated. Taren gave a quick nod.

"In honor of Yukon," He began. "Miss Nicole Genevieve Rosalyn, a Four from Kent, will take her place."


	10. Perspectives

**Okay, thoughts. I just realized I have a week until school starts again. So, I can't spend all day writing anymore *cough* yesterday *cough*. Would you guys prefer longer less frequent updates, or shorter, more frequent updates? **

**Anyway, this is a chapter getting Ethan's perspective on the Selected, as well as some other royal folks! I've channeling my writing with the help of music to get me in the mood. I've been listening to a lot of music from Disney's Cinderella, and the Beauty and the Beast London soundtrack. Oh dear. I'm starting to sound like **delovlies.

**Huge thanks to my reviewers-**TheGirlWithTheRainbowTattoo, mnbvcxz-xx, EruditeAbnegationMockinjay, RadicalLlama, 4Love4Love4 (**whose own story inspired this chapter**), theYAfangirl17, zanzibaby **and **delovlies, **who was too lazy to sign in (love ya, sis!) **

***Note* **RadicalLlama **pointed out to me that I messed up her character's name. Instead of "Juliella", it's supposed to be "Junilella". So sorry! Also, Audra, Saskia, and Ava are characters that I and **delovlies **made up to hate on, so we poke a lot of fun at them! **

…

Ethan studied the stack of papers sitting on his desk. His mother, the Queen, had so thoughtfully found all the forms from the girls who were coming to the palace in a few days. Ethan figured that their lives were being turned upside-down right now. Representatives from the palace were probably barging into their homes, fitting them for their wardrobes, telling them the stupid rules of the Selection, getting them on vitamins, getting their signatures. The maids were working overtime sewing all the dresses and getting the rooms ready and everything. And yet, it almost didn't seem real.

One of the girls in this stack of papers was to be his wife.

Michelle had kicked him a third of the way through the revelations of the girls, telling him to smile or something instead of just sitting there absorbing. He shuffled through the papers, trying to decide who to look at. Mother had arranged them in alphabetical order, so he decided to leave it.

Just then, the door to his quarters flew open, ushering in Wesley. Ethan groaned, and quickly hid the papers.

"Whatcha doin'?" Wesley drawled lazily.

"Stuff Dad wanted me to study." Ethan said. "I'm busy, so get out."

"Nuh-uh. I saw Mom give you those papers, and I saw you hide them." Wesley joked. Ethan rolled his eyes. His little brother was almost sixteen, but still acted like a little kid sometimes.

"Forget it, Wes." Ethan said.

"Hey, the Selecion is nothing to be embarrassed of. I'll help you go though the girls, get a different perspective on them? I haven't seen a girl since the princess of Spain was here with her dad." Wesley said.

"She was eighteen. Way too old for you."

"That didn't stop me from looking. Man, she was hot." Wesley said with an impish smile.

"What about the maids?"

"They're the maids. Duh. You don't rate maids." Wesley said. "Now give me those papers. I want to see that Mackenzie chick again."

"Wes, this is kind of personal."

"Not really. One of these girls is going to be my sister-in law. I want to know more about them."

"I thought you said you wanted to check them out." Ethan said, grinning.

"I wanna do both." Wesley said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Brother bonding time, and you didn't invite me?" A new loud voice rang out. Ethan glanced to the open door, spying his older brother Andrew striding toward them. Ethan groaned inwardly. So much for personal reflections.

"Nah, we were just goin' through Ethan's concubines." Wesley said, giggling. Ethan shoved him roughly backwards, getting up from his desk.

"They're not concubines." He growled. "When are you going to grow up?"

"When I get older." Wesley snickered.

"Leave off, Ethan." Andrew joked. "He was just kidding. You don't have to keep them all to yourself." Andrew said loudly.

"Might I remind you that you're married?" Ethan countered. "Can you guys just leave me alone? You can annoy me all you want later, but have to do this now."

"Aw, what are brother's for?" Andrew said. "Give me those papers." He held out his hand. Reluctantly, Ethan handed them to him, and flopped onto his bed. Andrew leaned against the wall, and cleared his throat dramatically, while Wesley claimed Ethan's desk chair.

"First, we have Adele Roxanne Warren." He said, holding out a form. "She's a Five, but a live theatre performer."

"She's hot." Wesley said. Ethan did have to admit Adele was pretty, with her short dark blonde curls, and the red lipstick she wore in the photo.

"I'd say she's a seven, maybe eight." Wesley said.

"She's a Five, dummy." Ethan said, annoyed.

"No, on a scale of one to ten." Andrew explained. "I agree. Ethan?"

"Eight…" Ethan rolled his eyes and Andrew laid Adele's form on the desk.

"Next is Alana Harwoski, a Four who loves to shop."

"I give her a three." Wesley said. "That hair…" He grimaced slightly at her overdone auburn curls.

"Ehh, I'd say even two." Andrew looked at the picture again.

"Three." Ethan said. Andrew put the form on the opposite side of the desk, away from Adele's.

"What about Alexina Jane Lee?" He held up the solitary New Asian girl's profile. "She's a Three who writes stuff and plays video games."

"Ten definitely." Wesley said. The older brothers gave him a look. "What? She plays video games?" He countered.

"Two." Andrew said. "She's not even that pretty."

"Three." Ethan added.

"Okay, fine." Wesley grumbled as Andrew covered Alana's form with Alexina's.

"Thoughts on Amber Elizabeth Autumns, a Two who designs clothes?" Andrew said.

"Six." Ethan and Wesley chorused.

"I was going to say the same thing." Andrew said. "Okay, Amelia Cressida Wilde?" He held a picture of a brunette with ivory skin. "She's also a writer."

"Eight." Ethan said.

"Seven." Wesley argued. " I hate writing stuff."

"Does that change how she looks?" Andrew said, chuckling. Wesley nodded vehemently. "Well, I say eight, so ha." Andrew covered Adele's form with Amelia's.

"And now, Audra Jepsen, a Seven who works at a nightclub."

"Doing what is what I'd like to know." Wesley grinned. "Too bad she looks like a walrus."

"I rate her as a one." Ethan decided.

"Yup." Andrew agreed, laying the form in its appropriate place. "How about Autumn Hunter, a dancer, but a Six?" He displayed a picture of a blue eyed blonde.

"Six." Ethan determined.

"Yeah." Wesley said.

"Okay…" Andrew put aside the form. "What about Ava Rotham, who obviously forgot to dye eyebrows?"

"One." Ethan said.

"Not even that." Wesley said. "Aren't these girls supposed to be pretty?"

"What about Brynlee Christine Harris? She's a Five."

"Six or Seven." Wesley said. "I don't like curly hair."

"Well, she's not on of your thirty five girlfriends, is she?" Andrew teased. "Ethan?"

"Seven." Ethan said, swatting Wesley on the arm.

"Okay, so Cora Abel, a Three training to be a vet." Cora's form displayed a girl with white-blonde hair, and blue eyes, yet striking tan skin.

"Seven." Ethan said.

"Really? I'd say eight." Wesley said.

"Okay, I'll vote to break it, and I say eight." Andrew said loudly. "Moving on, how about a familiar face, Cordelia Whitney, the actress?" Ethan studied the brunette. She was pretty, but her round face made her look younger than she was.

"Five." He said. Wesley nodded his agreement.

"What about Miss Dorianne Davenport, a Four?" He held up a picture of a girl with dark hair, and a somewhat nervous look to her. She wasn't drop dead gorgeous, but she was pretty, and Ethan felt drawn to her.

"Seven." He said

"What?" Wesley sat upright. "Barely even a five."

"Too bad, she's not one of your thirty five girlfriends." Ethan joked. "I like her."

"Okay, so I guess she's a seven." Andrew picked up a new form. "Elly Olsen, a professional dancer? I'm very partial to that myself. She'll have to give up her career though." Ethan smirked. It was funny to hear your brother reference his wife so tenderly.

"Christine is way hotter than this girl, though." Wesley said. Andrew shot him a glare.

"Dude, that's weird." Ethan said, although to himself, his sister in law did beat out Elly. While her dirty blonde hair and blue eyes weren't too bad, her olive skin just didn't work with the whole combination.

"Not really. I just complemented her! Seriously, this girl used the wrong spray tan." Wesley said. "Elly gets a three from me."

"Yeah, three sounds about right." Ethan agreed. Andrew still looked peeved from Wesley comment complementing his wife, and didn't say anything, but set Elly's form at the low end of the table, and picked up the next one.

"Elvira Entrinken?" He held up a picture of a beautiful girl with alabaster skin and dark hair, with starling gray eyes. "She's in the army." Wesley wolf-whistled.

"She's in the army? She's a ten!" He said excitedly.

"Eh, I'll give her a nine." Ethan said.

"Agreed." Andrew said. "Moving onto Erica Carter, a Six." He showed them a picture of a somewhat plain brunette. "A three?"  
"Yup." Wesley nodded, and Ethan shrugged.

"Sure."

"Right, now we're getting somewhere. Thoughts on Erin Rusk, a Two in the Illean Military Academy?"

"Whoa, she kind of scares me. In a good way, though. Eight." Wesley said.

"Eight." Ethan affirmed.

"What about Felicity Mae Weaver, a Five? She and that Adele girl are in the same theatre company." He held up Felicity's form and a picture of a girl with auburn waves.

"Six." Ethan said.  
"Sounds about right." Wesley nodded. "Andrew?"

"I'd even go to a seven but I'm already taken." He rubbed his scruffy beginnings of a beard, grinning.

"Enough of the mushy talk, who's next?" Wesley said impatiently. "We all get it that you're in love, but we don't care." He teased.

"Who's next? It's that girl Ethan liked. Gracelyn Luna." Andrew shoved the picture toward Ethan. He looked at, remembering the blonde from the Report. She was not only beautiful, but had such a sweet smile that he couldn't help but like her.

"Ten." He said.

"Nah, barely even a nine." Wesley said. "Bu it's your Selection, I guess."

"Yeah, it is, so shut up." Ethan said, but he couldn't help but grin. He couldn't wait to meet Gracelyn.

"Looks like someone's smitten. Maybe Hana Piper will distract him?" Andrew said, taking Gracelyn's form from him and putting it at the high end of the makeshift chart. Ethan looked at Hana. She wasn't ugly, she just wasn't that pretty.

"Seven and a half." He said.

"Seven." Wesley chimed in. "Don't give her a half point." Andrew shrugged, and put Hana halfway between the sevens and eights.

"What about Juniella Alonzo, a Four who enjoys…well she wrote that she enjoys cleaning on her form." He displayed a picture of a girl with glasses and dark brown hair.

"Four?" Ethan glanced at Wesley. He nodded.

"Moving on, then. Katherine Evelynn Page?"

"Five." Wesley said.

"Seven." Ethan countered. Katherine wasn't an exotic beauty, in fact, she was a little plain. But still, Ethan liked her. He didn't know why, he just did.

"It's your Selection." Andrew shrugged, laying the form down. "How do you feel about Lilly Gaston?"

"Two…" Ethan said. It wasn't that Lilly was ugly, she just was a little boring and repetitive with her dark hair and small smile.

"One and a half." Wesley said. "How many girls are left, anyway?"

"About fifteen." Andrew said. "She'll cheer you up." He showed them a picture of a gorgeous girl with strawberry blonde hair. "Mackenzie Parker, the hottest woman alive. I give her a ten."

"Ten!" Wesley practically yelled. "Who's next?"

"I am." Ethan said, studying Mackenzie's eyes, lined in thick black makeup. She was very good looking, but she seemed almost cold. "Eight." He finally said.

"Eight?" Wesley sputtered. "She's drop dead gorgeous!"

"Yeah, well, make up does a lot." Ethan said. "I think she's an eight. I'd like to see her without makeup."

Before he could see anything else, a squeal interrupted them.

"No way! They're-they're _rating _them!" a feminine voice cried. "Andrew!" The boys turned to find Michelle, their sister, and Christine, Andrew's wife, behind them. Christine's usually sweet features indignant, and Michelle's hands on her hips.

"They're girls, Ethan. One of them is your future wife. Don't treat them like horses or something!" Michelle sputtered.

"We're not!" Ethan protested. "We're just… looking them over."

"What else to expect from dumb men like us?" Wesley gave a winning smile. Michelle rolled her eyes.

"You mean _boys_!" She said, annoyed.

"Do you want to help?" Wesley asked. Michelle raised her eyebrows.

"Are you kidding? I would love to."

"What?" Ethan jumped to his feet. "This was supposed to be a personal exercise. I don't need all of you telling me opinions I don't care about!"

"Too bad, brother." Andrew handed the remaining forms to Michelle, and went to Christine. "I'm sorry, my love." He murmured taking her hand and kissing it. "I only thought of you. Will you ever forgive me?"

"Only if you let me help!" Christine teased, standing on tiptoes to kiss his cheek. Andrew chuckled, and sat down at the foot of Ethan's bed. Christine grabbed the skirt of her light pink gown, and maneuvered herself onto his lap. "Who were you discussing?"

"Mackenzie. The girl on the news." Wesley said. "The _hot _girl on the news."

"Oh, please. That girl is as stuck up as they come." Michelle said.

"Have you met her?" Wesley challenged.

"As a matter of fact, yes." Michelle crossed her arms. "She's a brat."

"Still, a hot brat." Wesley shrugged his shoulders.

"What about this girl? Megan Stewart? A Six?" Michelle displayed the form. She was another blue-eyed blonde.

"Pretty, but common." Wesley said. "A five and a half." He shot a glance at Michelle. "I mean, it's almost five thirty."

"It's just now four." Michelle said.

"Oh. Oops."Wesley looked away, whistling innocently.

"What about this girl. Melissa Dove." Michelle said.

"The dancer?" Christine perked up. She had been a ballerina until marrying Andrew.

"Yeah, but she's a Seven, so I'm assuming it's for a nightclub or the burlesque."

"Oh, man. I like her already." Wesley said, before catching the looks everyone else gave him. "I mean, she must be really talented."

"Whatever. Ethan?"

"She's pretty. I won't know what she's like until I meet her." He felt a blush creep into his ears.

"Obviously." Michelle tossed the form onto the neat piles the boys had made earlier. "What about her, Michaela Williams. She's a baker."

"She's nice." Ethan mentally rated her as a seven, with her golden blonde curls and green eyes.

"Yeah, she's very nice." Wesley said, rather suggestively. "Who's next?"

"The twins." Michelle said. "Natalia and Nicole. It's so weird how they both got chosen."

"If it wasn't for Yukon, Nicole wouldn't have been." Andrew reminded them.

"Well I think it's adorable." Christine smiled wistfully. "My older sister was so jealous of me."

"Until they start fighting here." Ethan reminded them.

"I like girls fighting." Wesley said, grinning. "But they're both really attractive." Ethan nodded, taking in the girl's dark chestnut hair and hazely eyes. Nicole seemed distracted in the photo, almost surprised in a bad way, but Natalia was grinning cheerfully. "I like them." He rated them as eights.

"What about this girl. Aurora Clarisse Bande." Michelle showed them a picture.

"Another actress. It'll be like an awards show when she and Cordelia get here. And Adele. And Felicity." Ethan groaned

"But they're just Fives." Christine reminded him.

"Still, one word. Drama." Wesley said.

"Anytime you get girls together, there is drama." Michelle huffed a sigh. "Boys don't have it because they're idiots."

"Whatever. Who's next?"

"Ruby Larson. Another Five." Ruby had red hair, and green eyes. Ethan shook his head.

"Ehh." Wesley said. "One or two-I mean…how many more?" He quickly changed the subject.

"Okay, moving on. Saskia Buchannan." Michelle said.

"Next!" Wesley cried. "She looks evil!"

"Ethan?"

"I don't really like her." He admitted. She _did _look evil.

"How do you like Sirena Mastrano?" She held up a picture of a stunning red-head.

"She's beautiful" Ethan blurted out, before thinking. The others snickered. "Keep going." He was suddenly very much in need of some quality time with his horse.

"Summer Lee." Michelle displayed a girl with caramel hair.

"She's okay." Ethan gave her a four in his head. "Next."

"Tatiana Sarvex." Michelle showed him a photo of a girl with light red ringlets. Ethan nodded.

"I give her a five or six."

"She's actually a Three." Michelle said, not realizing his blunder.

"…Oh." Ethan said, and Wesley guffawed.

"Right." Michelle eyed them suspiciously "Last one. Taylor Hollister." Taylor was very attractive, with glowing skin, dimples, and dark curls and blue eyes. "She's a Seven."

"Still, very nice." Wesley said.

"Yeah, I like her." Ethan figured her as an eight. He stood up from his perch. "Wow that was a lot of girls. I'm going for a ride, if anyone needs me." He added sarcastically. "Don't touch my stuff." He yelled over his shoulder. "And get outta my room!"

As he walked to the stables, he suddenly realized just how difficult this was going to be.


	11. Looking Ahead and Leaving Behind

**So shorter mote frequent updates it is! This one's about 2500, so I'll try to make them 2000-3000 words, and frequent! I also have decided a secret plot twist! **

**This chapter highlights Nat and Nicole's send off, and introduces another character, Lissa. Just to clarify, **delovlies **does not listen to Disney music (baring Newsies) She enjoys a wide variety of show tunes, and when I started talking about the different casts, I felt like her, since I usually don't listen to show tunes. But yeah. She thought I meant something else! **

**Thanks to my reviewers- **mnbvcxz-xx, TheGirlWithTheRainbowTattoo, Demigod-Gallagher-Selected , Fairy not princess, zanzibaby, delovlies, theYAfangirl17. ** Love you guys!**

…

Nat ran the brush through her hair one final time, trying to get her dark chestnut curls to lay smooth. As usual, the frizz protested. She gritted her teeth-something she had started during the last few days-and dug through the bag of beauty products the palace people had given her. The last several days had been a whirlwind of activity. The whole inconceivable notion that when the girl representing Yukon was chosen, was related to one of the girls already chosen drove reporters and the public to their house in droves. Especially since they weren't just related. They weren't just cousins, or even sisters. They were identical twins.

They _had _gotten quite a kick out of switching places on the reporters and palace people, though. People swarmed by the droves to get them to sign papers about the validity of their forms, take their pictures, take their measurements for fancy-schamncy ball gowns, people to inform them that were now, in fact, Threes, and give them beauty products and vitamins, and go into every minute detail regarding the Selection. Not to mention the phone calls requesting interviews, and the reporters and photographers everywhere. With all that was going on, Nat barely had time to think about all of it. Never in her wildest dreams had she considered being selected. Never. Not once. Her leg muscles were sore from not riding, even on a daily basis. She hadn't seen Ben once, and he hadn't called. Nat didn't know if she should laugh or cry.

Of course, Nicole was terribly happy about the whole thing. Nat swore that even her skin was glowing. Maybe it was just the vitamins and the face washes and the makeup though. Speaking of which, Nat dug a bottle of hair product guaranteed to get rid of frizz, and misted her curls down, and brushed some more. Now her hair just looked greasy and unwashed and weighed down. She groaned, and tried the dry shampoo, which worked pretty well. She deemed her hair respectable, and put on just a touch of mascara and some powder. All the stress was great for breaking out.

Nat then took her Selection outfit off the hanger, and quickly took of the jeans and sweatshirt she had hastily donned this morning to go downstairs and eat breakfast. It would be the last time she would eat with her family for a while. Usually, she would just go downstairs in her pj's, but had been surprised by a reporter in all her bedtime glory twice already before learning her lesson. She put on the starched short sleeved button down blouse, and tucked it into the knee length black skirt. Not very practical for the rapidly approaching winter, but Angeles was supposed to be warm, so oh well. Still, Nat hiked a pair of knee socks on, and then put on her ankle high riding boots. She had wanted to wear her usual calf high ones, but that hadn't worked so well with the skirt. Nat slipped on the palace issued black cardigan over the sweater, and surveyed her and Nicole's room. Nicole had been ready almost half an hour ago, even though Nat had at least ten minutes before their driver came.

Nat hefted the small tan valise Mom had given her to pack her things. They had told her it wasn't necessary to bring clothes, but Nat had figured that a pair of jeans might come in handy, since the seamstresses who had come to take their measurements had shook their heads when Nat asked them about pants. She also had packed her standard riding boots, and her small wooden box. Nicole had long since stopped using hers, but Nat kept all her 'treasures' there. She kept all her jewelry and little mementos, as well as a stack of photos with a rubber band around them. She hadn't opened it, since it contained the bracelet Ben had given her. The one she had worn until receiving news of their breakup several days later. Nat hadn't thrown it away, since she had been harboring the hope for getting back together. Now she wasn't so sure _what _the future held.

With one last lance, Nat left the room, switching off the light as she left. Ben didn't want her, well, fine. She didn't need him anymore. Besides, she was a Three now! There was no way Ben, with his fragile male ego, would date her now. He'd had his chance, but he hadn't made the most of it. It certainly wasn't any of Nat's concern anymore. She entered the living room.

"Nat! We have five minutes! You're cutting it close!" Nicole said, jumping to her feet in her cream ballet flats. Nat shrugged.

"That's plenty of time." She said, setting her suitcase down as Nicole handed her the province flower, a small cluster of rhododendron blossoms, and Nat used a hair pin to pen it above her ear. Nicole sported a single rhododendron blossom and several tiny forget-me-nots, representing Yukon as well as Kent. They were throwing a little send off in the hometown for all the Selected today and Nat was not looking forward to it. She was already so exhausted from the preparations, and the Selection hadn't even begun. Besides, she didn't want to see Ben there.

A few minutes later, two cars showed up, on to take her and Nicole, and one to take the rest of their family. The twins climbed into the limo, stocked with drinks and snacks and the best car seats ever.

"Maybe this won't be so bad after all…" Nat said as she settled next to Nicole, spying the tray of treats next to the fully stocked fridge.

"Hurry up and make the most of it. It's like five minutes until we get there." Nicole reminded her, taking an expensive looking bottle of water from the fridge, and taking a drink.

"How's it taste?" Nat asked. '

"Like water. How'd you expect it to taste?" Nicole grinned.

"I don't know. Like…super water or something." Nat perused the tray of treats and settled on a generously sized brownie with a dusting of powdered sugar. She took a giant bite.

"Oh. my. gosh!" She half- shirked. "This is the best brownie ever!" Unfortunately, she didn't have much time to enjoy it, as they pulled up at the square, crowded with twice as many people that were usually there for parades and things.

"Before we do this," Nicole said as the car pulled to a stop and the driver got out to open the door for them. "I just want to say that I'm so glad we're doing it together."

"Me too!" Nat said, giving Nicole a one-armed hug. "Prince Ethan better watch out"

"Just don't be too mad when I win." Nicole teased as the door opened, and the sound of the citizens of Kent yelling their names filled their ears. The driver offered his hand, and helped the girls out, and two guards helped them navigate through the crowd to the raised platform. The mayor presented them to the crowd with more pomp and circumstance than Nat had ever experienced, and then launched into a flowery speech about how honored he was to have not one, but two girls from Kent in the Selection, and how he hoped Nicole would honor both Yukon and Kent. When he handed the microphone to Nat, she froze, until Nicole gave her a little shove forward, and she managed to smile and say something about how grateful she was to be chosen. Nicole had, as usual, be prepared, and said a nice speech she had written on two note cards, but Nat didn't remember half of what she said.

She suddenly had realized that this was the real deal, and that it was happening. To her. Natalia Rosalyn. And it totally didn't seem real.. Nicole handed the microphone back to the mayor, and he said some closing words. Before she realized it, their aides, Darcie and Marina, were telling them it was time to say goodbye. Lea started crying before Nat could even hug her.

"Bye, sweetie." She hugged the miserable eight year old. "Be good, okay?"

"I wanna go with you! I wanna be a princess!" Lea cried.

"You don't need the Selection to be a princess." Nat said, before Nicole swopped into to comfort the girl. She moved onto Eva.

"Take care of Lea, okay?" She hugged her sister. Eva nodded, and Nat suddenly regretted not spending much time with her two younger sisters as she did with Nicole and Jason. She hugged Eva again, for good measure. "You'll be eighteen in five years, when Prince Wesley has his Selection, so you might get chosen!" Nat whispered.

"Really?" Eva asked.

"Yeah, sure. You have two famous older sisters now!" Nat joked. Eva smiled, and then went to say goodbye to Nicole. Nat turned to Jason, and threw her arms around her brother. She had always been closer to him than to Eva and Lea.

"You'll be fine. I'm proud of you." Jason said softly. "If Prince Ethan is a jerk, call me and I'll beat him up for you two."

"You'll beat up a prince?" Nat said, blinking away the sudden onslaught of tears.

"Whatever it takes." Jason said. "Now don't get into too much trouble."

"I won't." Nat gave him another quick hug. "Check on the horses I ride, okay? Don't let them get too lonely. If I call while you're at work, will you let me talk to them? Just hold the phone-"

"I'm not letting you talk to horses on a phone!" Jason said, grinning. "Call them yourself, you're a Three now! Now say goodbye to Mom and Dad. You've got to get going!"

Nat turned to her parents. "Bye, Mom. Bye Dad." She hugged them in turn, and felt those stupid tears creep up again. She evidently had a lot of growing up to do. "Don't replace us." She said with a watery smile.

"We love you, no matter what happens." Mom bent for another hug.

"I never thought both my girls would be in the Selection." Dad said fondly, hugging Nicole. "I'm already proud, even if you get kicked out first." He kissed their heads, and then shoved them gently to the waiting car. "Love you two!" He called after them.

"Love you too!" Nat said, before following Nicole

"Bye!" Nicole waved excitedly at everyone. "Love you!" She called. They were almost to the car, when Ben ran out towards them.

"Nat-" He began. Before Nat could even collect her thoughts, Nicole stepped forward, and slapped Ben across his face.

"That was for breaking up with my sister without telling her, you jerk!" She yelled. Nicole climbed gracefully into the car, leaving Nat and Ben, stunned. Nat turned to get into the car.

"Nat, listen to me." Ben pleaded. "I shouldn't have broken up with you like that. I'm sorry."

"You have every right." Nat said, trying to get the words out before she dissolved into a bucket of tears. Wasn't she supposed to be the strong one, and not Nicole? "Please, just go."

"Wait, you don't have to do this." Ben grabbed her hand.

"You had your chance, Ben. Don't try to do this just to get famous. I forgive you, but I don't have any regrets." _Liar. _ "Thanks, though. You showed me a world I never knew existed. Racing, I mean." Before either of them could say or anything, or Nat could change her mind, she scrambled into the car and slammed the door.

"Thanks for that, Nicky." She said to Nicole, trying really, really hard not to cry.

…

Melissa Dove tried to ignore the stares of all the upper castes as she hurried to the car. They hated her. And why wouldn't they? She was Seven who didn't exactly deserve to be in the Selection. She was one step above a prostitute, for crying out loud! As a burlesque dancer, she was scum.

But that couldn't get her down. Not today! She was in the Selection! She had a chance to fall in love, to be a princess! Even if Prince Ethan hated her, she was still a Three. She could go to college, and pursue her dream of studying history now! No more prancing around on stage with more lipstick than clothes. It paid good, but it was torture.

The only thing left to do was to say goodbye. She turned to her mother.

"Bye, Mom." She gave her a quick hug. "Thanks. For everything." Her mother stepped back, tears filling her eyes, gray, like Lissa's.

"I can't believe this is happening." Lissa's mother managed, her voice choked. "I never thought my girl would have a future of any kind. I'm so sorry I couldn't have done more." She hugged Lissa again, squeezing her tightly. For a moment, Lissa felt afraid. She was only fifteen, almost sixteen, yet here she was, with a not even a three percent chance of winning the Selection and becoming the princess of Illea. Was she even old enough to get married? Lisssa tightened her grip on her mom. Her childhood had been quick, and she'd been forced to grow up fast/ As she ended the embrace, Lissa wished time would stop, and she could stay herself a while longer. She studied her mom, only fifteen years older than Lissa herself.

"Its fine, Mom." She said, blinking back tears. "You could have done a lot worse."She tried to joke, but was suddenly too overcome, and started to cry as she saw tears coursing down her mom's cheeks.

"When I was fifteen, I was due to be a mother, and now that child is off to the Selection." Her mother said. "I don't know whether to be happy or sad." She hugged Lissa again, and kissed her cheek. "Whatever it is, I love you, and I'm so very proud to call you my daughter."

"Thanks." Lissa managed.

"Now hurry and say goodbye to your brothers. You need to go." Mom said. Lissa nodded, wiping away traces of her cry, and smoothing down her dark blonde curls. She took Ian, her two year old baby brother from her aide, Ashleigh..

"Bye Ian." She whispered in the baby's ear. Even if they had different fathers, Lissa still loved her brother. "Don't forget me." She handed him o her mother and moved to Regan, who was seven, and still only her half brother. She hugged him tightly.

"Make sure to watch out for Mom." She told him. "I love you."

"Love you too." Regan mumbled shyly, before stepping back, and sniffling, though he tried to hide it. Lissa swallowed at the lump in her throat, and moved to twelve year old Adrian. This would be hard. She didn't know if they were fully fledged siblings, since her father had stuck around until she was two and a half, so there was a good possibility.

"Don't let anything happen to them." She sobbed as they hugged.

"I won't. And Lissa?" Adrian said. Lissa stepped back, remembering the time Adrian had saved her when one of the attendees of the nightclub and her mother's then boyfriend had tried to take advantage of her.

"Yes?" She said tearfully.

"Follow your heart." Adrian said, pressing a small object into her hand. Lissa looked down, seeing a thin silver ring with his words encrypted on it in tiny letters. _Follow your heart. _ Lissa started to cry again as she slipped it on.

"I will." She hugged everyone one more time and moved to the car, and got in. As it pulled away, she waved and blew kisses out the window. Then she faced forward.

A lot of bad things had happened to her, but that didn't mean good things wouldn't either.

…

**Okay, thoughts? Let me know in a review! I would love to know who your favorite characters are, including the royal family, though based on reviews, a lot of you like Wesley! **

**The next chapter will introduce Katherine and describe her plane ride, as well Nat and Nicole's! Thanks for reading!**

**-Shades**


	12. Tension

**Okay, so the first half of this chapter is inspired by a wonderful review **zanzibaby **left me, it's Nat and Nicole's plane ride, with (her characters) Gracie and Mackenzie as their cohorts! The second half introduces mainly Katherine, by **majestictales, **but also Tatiana (**WaffleManiac),** Bryn** (zeldafanatic0555) **and Rory (**RosemaryAlysse).

**Song credit: Kellie Pickler's "Red High Heels". **

**Thanks to these wonderful people: **4Love4Love4, delovlies, Fairy not princess, Demigod-Gallagher-Selected, mnbvcxz-xx, theYAfangirl17, majestictales, zanzibaby, **and **EruditeAbnegationMockinjay, **who gets this week's sporadic shout out for almost sharing Nat's name, except she's not a Natalia, but a Natalie! (Don't worry, she signed her name, I'm not a stalker) You know, all these people did was review, so if you want to be awesome and make the world a better place, and get reviews on your stuff (if I've read the archive!) So thanks again to all ya'll! **

…

Nicole hesitantly followed Nat onto the plane, pausing to wave goodbye to the aides and thank them.

"You're bags are already on the plane, Lady Nicole!" Marina called.

"Thanks for everything!" Nicole yelled back, before ducking slightly to enter the plane. As soon as she entered, she heard someone squealing.

"Oh my goodness! It's you guys! I can't believe it get to ride all the way there with you two! I'm so excited!" A petite blonde girl jumped up from her seat, her hair flying. Nicole paused for a second, before recognizing Gracelyn Luna, a Three from Atlin. Immediately, she hugged both of them. "This is so exciting!" She said happily. "I'm Graclyn, but everyone calls me Gracie."

"Hi!" Nicole said. "I'm Nicole Posalyn." She gestured at her sister. "This is Nat."

"Wait, how do I know you're not switching placing on me?" Gracie joked.

"Well, Nat has bigger eyes." Nicole explained. "I guess we'll have to do something at the makeover to change it up a little."

"I can't wait for that!" Gracie half-shrieked, "I'm only going to trim my hair a little, but it still sounds super fun! What are you guys going to do?" She was practically bursting with excitement.

"I haven't really thought about it." Nat admitted reluctantly. "But I know I'm getting rid of my curls." She said. Nicole stared at her sister. She hadn't realized that they would part ways in the Selection until now.

"Get rid of them?" She half-repeated. Nat nodded.

"We can't be the same two people here, Nicky."Nat said, jerking Nicole into reality. Of course they couldn't. Still, it would be hard.

"Did you guys flip out when you found out both of you were going?" Gracie said after a moment of quiet.

"Sort of." Nat said, sitting down on one of the several cream colored seats arranged in three rows of two on either side. She gave it a little spin, so she faced Nicole and Gracie. "I almost passed out when I was announced."

"Well, I did." Nicole launched into the story of how the neighbors had called to make sure they were okay after she screamed so much.

"Did you cry?" Gracie asked. "It was the first thing I did!"

"I did, but not Nat." Nicole said. "This is going to be so much fun!"

"I know! I cannot wait to get there!" Gracie said. She turned to Nat. "You don't seem as happy about it." She said. Nat shrugged.

"I don't know…I never expected this to happen to someone like me anyway."

"I know! It's incredible!" Gracie fingered the dogwood blossom in her light golden blonde hair. "It's like a dream."

Just then, a scoff of judgment interrupted them, and the three girls turned to find their final passenger. She was tall and lean, with straight strawberry blonde hair, and brown eyes, coated with dark gray eye shadow and jet black eyeliner.

"Wake up, then, sweetie." The girl said, not-so-sweetly. "It's about to get real."

Gracie, instead of taking offense, looked star struck.

"Oh my goodness! You're her! You're Mackenzie Parker! I watch you on the news all the time, and now I get to ride to the palace with you!" Gracie shrieked. Instead of being nice, Mackenzie rolled her eyes.

"And who are you?" She asked in a bored tone, flipping her hair over her shoulder and taking a step further into the plane. Behind her, two aides began loading matched luggage into the overhead compartments.

"Oh! Sorry! Gracelyn Luna, of Atlin, A Three. Everyone calls me Gracie, though."

"Nice to meet you." Mackenzie chirped boredly, as she took her cell phone from the massive designer purse she carried. Gracie didn't seem to notice that Mackenzie didn't care, and beamed.

"Well, I'm Natalia, but I usually just go by Nat." Nat told Mackenzie.

"How sweet. I get to ride with the twins." Mackenzie said, almost annoyed, and sauntered to a chair in the back, her eyes glued to the phone

"Nicole Rosalyn. Nice to meet you." Nicole said as Mackenzie brushed by her.

"Mmm." Mackenzie settled down in the seat without looking at Nicole, and picked up an in-flight magazine, barely flipping through it.

Nat, Nicole and Gracie exchanged a look between them, when Gracie suddenly seemed to remember something.

"Oh! I almost forgot!" She hurried to the chair she had been occupying and opened her suitcase, taking out a small box. "They're a little smashed, but they are good, if I do say so myself." She opened the box lid, revealing four decadent looking cupcakes topped with a thick chocolate frosting.

"Um, you officially rock." Nat said, taking the one with most frosting. "These look amazing."

"Yeah, they do, thank you!" Nicole said. Gracie blushed a little.

"Kenzie? Do you want one?" Gracie offered the box toward her.

"It's _Mac_kenzie." She snapped. "And no, I don't want to look bloated when I meet the Prince." She rolled her eyes. Gracie looked slightly hurt, but offered the last two to Nat and Nicole, who gladly took them. It was then when she caught sight of Nat's shoes.

"You're wearing riding boots!" She squealed. "Do you ride?" Before Nat could answer, Mackenzie hurled the magazine she was reading at Gracie, who screamed and ducked.

"Oh my god, do you _ever _shut up?" Mackenzie demanded. "How annoying do you have to be? Do you have to squeal every five seconds? God, you're immature."

Gracie immediately turned red and was silent.

"Um , excuse me?" Nat scoffed. "She didn't do anything wrong. Now let me tell you, something, you stuck up ice queen. The world doesn't revolve around you, and just because you're a rich and famous Two doesn't mean we have to bow down to you. You're not royalty!" She looked at the half-eaten cupcake in her hand, and then without thinking, lobbed it straight at Mackenzie. Who screamed. Loudly. And called Nat several names that made Gracie clap her hands over her ears.

"Oh no…" Nicole muttered as Mackenzie stood up, practically shaking with rage. "You guys, if you hit each other, you're out of here."

"She threw a cupcake at me!" Mackenzie cried, pointing to glob of frosting on her chest and the rest of it on the floor. Nicole had to stifle a laugh at the ludicrousness of the statement.

"You threw a magazine at me!" Nat countered, stepping closer. Nicole grabbed her sister's arm and yanked her backwards.

"Cool it, Nat." She said. "It's not worth messing this up for you."

"Messing what up?" Nat's voice rose to a yell. "I mess _everything _up!" She blinked rapidly, and ran towards the seat farthest away from Mackenzie, and spun it to face the front. Gracie took some napkins off the tray of drinks in the back by the restroom and cautiously offered them to Mackenzie, who snatched them away with a glare.

"Now I get to meet the Prince with a stan!" She shouted.

"I'm sure we don't meet him right away, though." Nicole said hesitantly.

"What do you know? You're just a stupid Four!" Mackenzie shot back. Nicole stepped backward, and set next to a miserable looking Gracie.

"It's my entire fault. If I hadn't of brought those cupcakes, none of this ever would have happened." Gracie said sadly.

"You didn't do anything wrong." Nicole said comfortingly. "Nat just loses her temper a lot." She sighed and stared out the window as the plane-finally-began to take off. Nicole already knew she and Mackenzie wouldn't be friends, but maybe she and Gracie could.

…

Katherine Page took a deep breath as she walked through the little hallway connecting the Calgary Airport to the airplane she would take to Angeles. _I can do this. _She told herself, clenching her fists. But her shaky legs and racing heart told her otherwise. The other girls were already on the plane, so she'd been told. Katherine had to stay in her limo several extra minutes to compose herself, and had caused a hold up. This was impossible.

"Lady Katherine?" Behind her, Katherine's aide, Marylyn, questioned her. "The plane is waiting."

"Yes, I'm sorry." Katherine managed; her voice was audible, but wavering. She clutched her right wrist, where the small gold bracelet was, the tiny bird in flight dangling just above a vein. _Annalise help me, _She knew her older sister hadn't balked and had a meltdown the last time she had gotten on a plane to start her freshman year in college. Katherine would have been starting her freshman year, too, if she hadn't been Selected nearly a week ago.

And Annalise still would have been alive if she hadn't of gotten on that plane. Before the rebels hijacked it to take hostages to try to get ransom money. Before something went wrong, and the plane crashed and no one survived. Not even Annalise, Katherine's best friend, who had only given her the charm bracelet that morning. Now, getting on a plane for the first time in nearly four years, Katherine was petrified.

"Lady Katherine?" Marylyn said again. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine…" Katherine said, taking another step forward. She couldn't meet the Prince if she couldn't get on the plane to get there. She picked up the pace, her heart hammering in her chest. Finally, she stepped in, seeing three other girls look up at her.

"It's about time!" One girl, a blonde, said, rolling her eyes. "What took so long?"

"Sorry-" Katherine began.

"Don't be. She's just spoiled." Another girl, with light red curls said, standing up to introduce herself. "I'm Tatiana Sarvex." She held out her hand. Katherine took a breath to steady her fears, and shook Tatiana'a hand.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Katherine. Katherine Page" She added. "I'm sorry it took so long."

"It's not a problem." Tatiana said warmly.

"Oh, are you sure?" Katherine said, feeling some of her tension dissolve.

"No way! Can we get going already?" The first girl, the blonde said, annoyed. She kicked a heel clad foot against the chair in front of her, and sighed dramatically.

"Calm down, Rory." Tatiana said. "Just because-"

"I don't want to hear it, you little brat." The blonde said. She got up from her seat and banged on the door separating them from the pilot's "We're ready to go!" She demeaned. "So, Katherine, since you're finally here, I guess I'll introduce myself. I'm Aurora Bande. Surely you've heard of me?"

"No…sorry." Katherine said, finding a seat near Tatiana and buckling her seat belt. Tightly.

"Oh. Well, I usually go by Rory, so…" She raised her eyebrow questioningly. Katherine shook her head as the final girl interrupted.

"She's an actress who was in those TV shows." The girl said, tossing her sandy blonde curls.

"Which ones?" Katherine asked.

"She's told me three times already, I'm sure it won't kill her to tell you. I'm Bryn, by the way. Well, actually Brynlee Harris, but everyone just calls me Bryn." She said.

Just then, a voice cut over the loudspeaker, telling the girls they would be leaving shortly, and to sit down during takeoff and stay buckled in. Rory flipped her bangs out of her blue-gray eyes and plopped into a seat.

"As if we care!" She said. "Anyway, now that we all know each other, I was in _Silent Song _and _Human Again._"

"I've never heard of those before." Katherine admitted. Rory snorted, and the airplane began moving faster. Katherine gripped the armrest tighter.

"Of course you haven't. You're a Four. What do you do for a living, anyway?" Rory snapped as the plane touched off and launched itself into the sky. Katherine gulped, but kept talking, to distract herself.

"I'm a baker." Katherine said. But it still didn't seem right. "Well, my parents are. I was supposed to take over the business after my…I'm supposed to take over the business." Katherine finished quickly. Annalise had always wanted to own the business. Now it was Katherine's job, even though she would much rather write music and play the piano. She looked at Bryn, remembering the girl was a Five.

"Bryn, what do you do?" She asked. Bryn blushed slightly, but began talking excitedly.

"I'm a Five, and I've played the piano for twelve years. Usually at parties and stuff, but I also accompany my mom when she sings, or for plays and stuff." She finished. Katherine noticed her eyes were sparkling, and that they both must share a passion for music. She would have loved to talk with her for the rest of the plane ride, but didn't want to be rude by not including the other girls. Still, she couldn't help but share her desires.

"I would love to be a Five. My mom always talks about expanding the business to a corporation or a franchise, so we won't be Fours anymore, but I can't stand it. I wish I could just write music for a living. I always dream up little melodies, and it annoys my mom to no end." Katherine found herself spilling the truth. She caught Tatiana looking at her funny.

"You _want _to be a Five? But you could be a Three?" The redhead said.

"I know, but…" Katherine trailed off, knowing it was useless. Only Annalise understood. Or at least had. She quickly turned to Tatiana. "You're a Three, right?" She asked.

"Yes. I tutor kids. I guess I don't really know what I want to do." Tatiana shrugged, and looked away. Katherine smiled at her, and glanced at Rory.

"So, Rory. You're an actress?" She asked politely.

"Yeah." Rory swiped at the bangs that always seemed to be in her face. "I used to model. Until my mom went psycho on me, and sent me to rehab."

"You went to rehab?" Tatiana asked eyes wide. Rory scoffed.

"I was overworked, and I fainted on the catwalk, and my mom concluded I was anorexic and she forbade me from modeling again. So I moved out and started working on television." Rory looked away, suddenly self-conscious. "I didn't want to live at home anyway."

"Why not?" Bryn asked softly.

"My parents are divorced. My dad's girlfriend is like five years older than me, and my mom works all the time."

"Oh." Bryn said as an awkward silence settled over the group. After a while, Tatiana and Bryn started talking about their reactions when they'd been picked, and Katherine took the opportunity to study Rory. The girl was pretty, obviously. With her straight platinum blonde hair and blue eyes, she looked like a Barbie Doll. She wasn't that mean either. Just spoiled, maybe. And used to getting what she wanted, but with home life issues. She seemed to protect herself with her words, and a whipped up ego. Katherine noticed, though, she was watching Bryn and Tatiana almost jealously. She fussed with her bangs again, and caught Katherine looking at her. Katherine offered a smile, before looking away. She was also very thin, and almost had a gaunt look to her.

The pilot announced they could now get up from their seats, so Katherine go t up and in a burst of spontaneous brain activity, found herself sitting next to Rory. She looked at Katherine in surprise.

"So, what was rehab like?" Katherine asked. Rory shrugged.

"Stupid." She muttered. "Excuse me." She got up quickly, and headed to the bathroom. Katherine sighed. Evidently Rory was not a talker. She gave up waiting for her to come out, and joined Tatiana and Bryn. Maybe Prince Ethan wouldn't be the most interesting part of the Selection.

…

**I'll try to update twice a week from now on, although I have two more days of freedom. I may be depressed, but I'm not at school yet. I'm proud of myself for updating everyday for three days in a row, but I literally had nothing else to do but some cleaning. I'm a slow writer- forgive me! **

**Also, keep the reviews coming! It really helps to see whose still reading! It doesn't have to be a paragraph, a sentence is great! Just tell me, who your favorite character is, or what you liked and hated, or even a mistake I made!**


	13. Gossip and Competition

**GUYS-Carrie Underwood is pregnant! I don't know why I'm so excited about that, but I guess that's America's celebrity culture for you, although usually I don't care! Anyway, I recently just finished my last first day of high school and being a senior sucks! I have to take Physics **_**and **_**Pre-calculus, so that will really cut into my writing time. Oh well, what are weekends for, right? **

**This chapter is inspired by an awesome writer, **theYAfangirl17, **who requested another plane ride chapter with her trio of gals-Taylor, Lissa, and Sirena, as well as Cordelia, so I'm postponing palace arrivals another chapter-sorry! **

**Song Credits: "Blown Away" By Carrie Underwood. **

**This wonderful bunch were wonderful and reviewed: **delovlies, zanzibaby, EruditeAbnegationMockinjay, 4Love4Love4, Demigod-Gallagher-Selected, mnbvcxz-xx, theYAfangirl17, Fairy not princess, TheGirlWithTheRainbowTattoo **and to **Zara (guest). **To **Zara **I just want to say (since I can't PM you) I know about all the things you had an issue with, and that they weren't necessarily allowed in the books (although I can't find the oldest son part) but this is fanfiction! Any thing can happen! There are no rules! Thanks for the review though! **

…

Taylor Hollister lifted her chin, glad for all her practice as a professional date. She entered the plane. _I'm not a Seven anymore. I'm a Three, but I have enough acting experience to make me look like a Two. _She mentally reassured herself. There was no one else there yet, though, so she let herself relax a little, and smoothed back a curl. Since she had been announced almost a week ago, things had been a whirlwind. She had suddenly become the 'most wanted' girl at the Intuition, everyone clamored to have her as their date. She had scarcely had time, though, with all the fittings and signings and people wanting to talk to her. All this had happened, before the Selection had even begun! Taylor sighed, and settled on one of the cream colored seats. Se felt her eyes close, and before she could stop herself, she was drifting off. It seemed like only a second before she heard someone else entering.

"Hello?" A tentative voice called out. Taylor immediately opened her eyes and stood up. A girl with dark blonde hair and a happy smile appeared. Her smile grew at the sight of Taylor.

"Hi!" She half-squealed. "I'm Lissa!" She took a few steps foreword and hugged Taylor. "You're so pretty!" She gushed. "I bet I'll be one of the first to go." Even as she said this, Lissa's smile never faltered.

"I think the prince will like you just fine, Lissa." Taylor said.

"Really?" She smiled bigger. "I've been in love with him for as long as I can remember! Just from TV and stuff." Lissa finished and then wrinkled her nose slightly. "I'm sorry; I can't remember your name."

"Oh! I'm so sorry." Taylor apologized quickly. "I'm Taylor Hollister."

"You're one of the Sevens?" Lissa's smile grew again, if that was possible. She was practically glowing now. "Me too!" She immediately hugged Taylor again.

"How did you know that?" Taylor asked as she felt a blush grow in her cheeks. She wasn't used to such touchy-feely people, and besides, this girl was her competition.

"I made sure to know who you guys were. Besides us, it's just Audra Jepson."

"Oh. So what do you do?" Taylor found herself wishing one of the other girls would enter.

"Well…I'm a gardener for some money, but it doesn't pay well, so I'm, well, a burlesque dancer." Lissa blushed furiously. Taylor tried not to look too shocked. This little slip of a girl? She couldn't be over sixteen, if she even was!

"Well, I'm a paid date. A professional escort." Taylor attempted to make Lissa feel more comfortable. Before Lissa could respond, however, another girl entered. Right away, Taylor knew who she was-Cordelia Whitney, the actress.

"Who are you?" Cordelia asked in a clipped tone.

"Oh, um, Taylor Hollister."

"Lissa Dove."

"What are your castes?" Cordelia practically demanded, rolling her eyes. She had a rounded, almost pudgy face, but she had a lovely smile, if she would use it.

"Um, we're both Sevens." Taylor began when Lissa didn't say anything. "I'm a-"

"Well, it was certainty a mistake to put me with the two of you!" Cordelia exploded. "Sevens!" She strolled into the plane. "Are you sure you're on the right plane?"

"I think it just has to do with provinces." Taylor said. "Sota and Tammins border-"

"Shut up, will you?" Cordelia snapped. The brunette stomped to a chair and plopped down. "Don't think you can talk to me like that, Seven."

"Sorry I'm late. We can take off now." A new voice interrupted. Taylor turned to see a tall girl enter the plane. She was tall, and had red hair. It was in limp curls, stiff with hairspray. The girls eyes were red and swollen, her heavy makeup smudged and smeared. She wore a fresh coat of bright red lipstick, but still looked a mess. She swayed uncertainly as she walked further into the plane. "I'm Sirena Mastrano."

"You're a model, aren't you?" Cordelia looked down her nose at Sirena, jealously eyeing her tall, thin figure. Sirena nodded.

"I play volleyball too, but no one watches that." She said, sitting down exhaustedly. Cordelia sniffed in reply, and turned her attention to the window.

Mercifully, the pilot came over the speakers, telling them to sit down and buckle up. After the takeoff, which Lissa giggled through the whole time like it was a roller coaster; a stewardess came through, offering drinks and snacks. Taylor could hardly believe her eyes, and glanced at Lissa, whose eyes mimicked the massive chocolate chip cookies offered.

"Is this all for us?" Lissa said, her voice awestruck.

"Of course it is. Are you that ignorant?" Cordelia said rudely. Lissa frowned, but turned back to the stewardess, asking for a glass of lemonade and a piece of chocolate cake.

"When you're ever done over there, I want a low-cal iced mocha." Cordelia huffed to the stewardess.

"I apologize, Lady Cordelia, but we don't have that. I can get you coffee or hot chocolate-" Before the stewardess could continue, Cordelia cut her off.

"Do you realize I have a very good chance of becoming the Queen of Illea?" She cried. "Is a simple iced mocha too much to ask? I'll speak to the king about this when we arrive!"

"I'm sorry, Lady Cordelia. Can I offer you-"

"No, forget it." Cordelia snapped, crossing her arms. The stewardess trembled slightly, and turned to Taylor.

"Would you like anything, Lady Taylor?" She asked in a shaky voice. Taylor shot a glare at Cordelia and then eyed the choices.

"I'll have a diet coke and some of those cookies. Do you have any ice cream?" Taylor asked. The stewardess visibly paled and shook her head. "That's fine." Taylor said quickly. She took the frosty glass of soda and took a drink. Delicious. The stewardess moved onto Sirena, who requested some alcoholic beverage, and three pieces of cheesecake. After the stewardess left, Cordelia turned to Sirena.

"Want to look bloated for the prince?" She asked innocently, gesturing to the cheesecake. Sirena narrowed her eyes.

"It won't stick." She said vaguely, taking a bite. Cordelia smiled sickeningly sweet.

"Sure it won't." She said. "What did you do last night? You look terrible. Loose your virginity?"

"I don't think that's any of your business." Sirena said through gritted teeth. "But for your information, no." She glared at her cheesecake and took a giant bite, effectively ending the conversation.

The rest of the plane ride passed without much talking. Lissa and Sirena exchanged a few words, but Cordelia kept a frosty silence, and Taylor kept to herself. When the plane landed, Sirena hurried to the bathroom as the other three prepared to exit the plane. A guard opened the door connecting the plane to the terminal.

"Lady Taylor, Lady Melissa, Lady Cordelia, and Lady Sirena?" He addressed them. "I'm here to escort you to the car taking you to the palace."

"Um, Sirena's not here. She's in the bathroom." Lissa volunteered, nervously fiddling with her skirt.

"Well then we'll wait for her. Let me warn you, there are quite a few fans between here and the car." The guard said.

"F-fans?" Lissa asked nervously. The man nodded.

"Also a camera crew filming your arrival. The people want to get to know you, and root for you." He said.

"Like some sort of game?" Taylor scoffed with a note of bitter sarcasm. She rolled her eyes, and ran her fingers through her curls. The Selection wasn't getting any better yet. _But once I get kicked out, I'll be a Three._ She reminded herself.

Sirena came out of the bathroom, looking somewhat better than before. She had washed her makeup, and had applied an overload of mascara and eyeliner. Still her face was pale, emphasizing the dark circles under her eyes and she was grimacing.

"You okay?" Lissa whispered to Sirena. The redhead nodded.

"Let's do this." She said, drawing her hand across her lips, and smoothing her hair. Taylor could plainly see Sirena _wasn't _okay. She remembered the three pieces of cake, and then the trip to the bathroom, and looked at Sirena again. She was definitely skinny, but she still looked healthy, just depressed.

Before Taylor could ponder it anymore, the guard whisked them into the connecting hallway. As they neared the building, Taylor could hear the sounds of what sounded like yelling. Then, another guard opened the door, ushering in the sound and sight of a mob of fans jumping around and cheering on both sides of the roped off pathway, guards scattered along the edge. Joining the guards were dozens of camera operators. Overwhelmed, Taylor stuck with a quick smile, and waved a little. Lissa was beaming sunshine beams, and bouncing on the toes of her worn out black flats. Cordelia had pasted a seemingly genuine smile, and was all but walking the red carpet, with one hand on her hip, emphasizing her generous curves. Sirena looked overwhelmed, and Taylor remembered she had been in the bathroom when the guard had informed them about the fans. She gave a tentative smile, and walked quickly to the other side, to the door leading to the outside and a black limousine. Lissa was signing autographs and talking to the citizens of Angeles, while Cordelia stayed near the cameras. Taylor greeted the people near to her, noticing that almost everyone held a sign, represeingitn all twenty five girls Cordelia was on quite a few, as was Sirena. She noticed lots of the signs in the back were for her, Audra, and Lissa, as well as the Sixes. Cordelia waved her goodbyes and continued to the car, and Taylor motioned to Lissa, and followed her. It was at least five more minutes before Lissa joined them in the limo. As they pulled away, and onto the main roads, even more fans lined the streets. Taylor suddenly got nervous. The Selection was going to be harder than she thought.

…

**Be sure to check out the wonderfully awesome and talented story by **zanzibaby, **called "Just Sky". It's an SYOC story too, so submit away! She's awesome and created Gracie and Mackenzie, who are amazingly thought out and described characters, so it's sure to be good! Next chapter will the palace!  
-Shades**


	14. Just Like You, Only Prettier

**IT'S FINALLY THE WEEKEND**! **Yes, time to write! : D**

**This chapter is at least one of the makeover chapters/introduction to the palace. It focuses primarily on Nat. It was supposed to include Nicole and some others, but Nat's ran on longer than I thought, so I'll just post this! **

******Make sure to read and submit to **zanzibaby**'s Selection SYOC story "Just Sky"! It's really cool!******

**Song/Title Credit: "Only Prettier"-Miranda Lambert**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed, especially **AthenaofVersailles **who I forgot to ****thank last time, and for reviewing for **LostDaughterofGallifrey. **Also to** theYAfangirl17, 4Love4Love4, Fairy not princess , zanzibaby, EruditeAbnegationMockinjay , mnbvcxz-xx, Perksofbeingminho, **and **Demigod-Gallagher-Selected. **Thank you guys so much! Shoutout to **4Love4Love4 **and **NewKindofCinderella **for coming up with the signature scent thing in their own awesome Selection SYOC stories. Read them! **

…

If Nat thought that the week before had been hectic, it was nothing compared to the palace. As soon as she stepped out of the limo, a woman with straightened dark hair and a set of intimidating bangs rushed forward. After Nicole, Gracie, and Mackenzie were out, the flustered woman spoke.

"Welcome to the palace, Lady Natalia, Lady Nicole, Lady Gracelyn, and Lady Mackenzie. I'm Sophia, the manager of the Selection for Queen Francesca and King Jackson. If you'll follow me, I'll take you inside." She said.

By inside, she meant the palace. When the limo had driven up, they had gone through massive walls, higher than Nat could tell, stuck in the middle of the car. The massive circle driveway was at least the width of a basketball court with pristine emerald grass on both side, and a fountain and an assortment of roses stood in the center. Nat stood in awe, gazing up at the palace. It was…there wasn't even a good way to describe it. For one, it was massive. And beautiful. And very very palatial.

It was tree stories, the whole front façade and probably the back too was covered with large windows. The entrance in front of them was massive, eight light gray pillars heralding the whole thing, with three along the side. The entrance was fringed with six steps that went around the entire thing. The whole thing was some kind of marble or stone or even stucco, and a clean light silvery gray color. The entrance was in the middle, with equally long parameters in either direction, although without the pillard façade. Further down, on each side, was a rounded bump out of sorts, sort of like a closed turret. The windows on the ground floor were huge, providing a view of the carefully maintained front drive and lawn. Black clad figures were on the roof, and Nat assumed they were snipers, to protect the royals. Off to one side of the palace, there was a large brick building, and a cluster of other ones around it, probably where the servants lived. Before she had time to take the rest of it in, Sophia was ushering them into the massive front doors, into an expansive cool marble foyer. Nat suddenly realized how warm it had been outside, much warmer then the chilly autumn air back in Kent.

"Come with me, ladies!" Sophia chirred, steering them further into the foyer, her four inch stilettos clacking shrilly. A long hallway, at least half the width of the palace, dominated the space. At the far end, there was a set of glass doors, giving Nat a glimpse of the gardens, but she only got a peek. An impressive staircase was centered in the large, hallway, but a smaller one branched off on one side. Sophia pointed to a closed set of doors, almost as large as the front doors.

"That's the Great Room, for parties and balls. You won't be spending time in there immediately." She pointed a open set of doors across the way, but didn't stop for a look. "That's the dining room, where you'll take your meals." She pointed to the red-carpeted stairs. "Up there, on the second floor, are the guest rooms. You'll be shown to your rooms later. The third floor is the private quarters of the royal family. You are not to go up there unless invited." She pointed to the hallway. "That is the west wing of the palace, where the king and princes and advisors work. It is also off-limits." She gestured to a smaller staircase going down right before the hallway. "That's where the Report is filmed. You'll see it later too." Sophia finally stopped at a room about as large as a gym. "This is the Woman's Room. Usually, the Queen and the princesses are here, but not at the moment. You'll be spending a lot of time here." She finally stopped to inhale, and Gracie seized the opportunity.

"Is there a Man's Room, too?" She asked. Sophia sighed and rubbed her fingers against her temples.

"No, Lady Gracelyn."

"Oh, everyone calls me Gracie."

"You'll be getting your makeovers now, but we need 'before' pictures." Sophia proclaimed, not responding to Gracie's preference. They entered the room, and Sophia led them around a maze of people rushing about with armfuls of gowns and shoes and makeup and stuff. The scent of hairspray was almost overpowering. At the far end of the room, tiny little vanities had been sat up, where the other Selected sat, getting their hair, makeup, and nails done. In the middle, there were some temporary dressing rooms, and racks of clothes. Toward the front were a collection of backdrops with chairs below, and a camera crew, although they were all scattered about the room. There were some couches right by the door, but they were unoccupied. Nat glanced sideways at Nicole, and saw she looked completely overwhelmed. As Gracie sat in front of the backdrop and smiled for the camera, a camera man came by; zooming in on Nat's riding boots, Nicole's ballet flats, and Mackenzie's pumps.

Once Gracie's picture was taken, she was led away, as was Mackenzie. Nat went next, and smiled as the bulb flashed several times.

"Someone take Lady Natalia to station ten!" Sophia shouted. A tall blonde woman approached Nat.

"Hi, Lady Natalia. I'm Daphne." She said, holding out her hand for Nat to shake. "I'm your head maid, and in charge of your makeover."

"Cool." Nat said, not knowing what else to say as she followed Daphne. "Um, I usually go by Nat, though." She added, sitting down at the offered chair.

"Can I call you Lady Nat?" another girl said, coming forward with a caddy overflowing with hair and makeup products.

"Yeah, that's fine." Nat nodded, biting her lip.

"Bonnie, that's rude." Daphne said sternly. "Lady Natalia-Nat, I apologize. This is Bonnie, and Velma. We're your maids." She gestured to two girls in turn. Bonnie had dark brown waves, and Velma sported a white-blonde bob. "Now, we need to talk about what you want done for your makeover." Daphne sat sideways on the vanity.

"Well, I would like to get my hair straightened…" Nat said lamely. She wasn't used to all…this.

"No, your image. Who are you, or who do you want to be?" Daphne explained. Nat though. She was Nat Roselyn. A Four from Kent who worked on a farm. A jockey who broke the rules, and had a talent for lying. Who did she want to be?

"Well…I'm not super girly." She began. "And I ride horses…" She trailed off.

"So, a beautiful tomboy?" Daphne prodded.

"One who breaks the rules, and doesn't do what she's supposed to." Nat finished, not elaborating. Daphne smiled.

"Got it. I know just what to do. One more thing. We need to make you stand out from your sister, though nothing like this has ever happened. Are you open to dying your hair?"

"No way. Leave it like it is." Nat said. Daphne nodded, and held up her hand. Several more women approached, and the makeover began. Nat was scrubbed, lotionened, manicured and pedicured in less than twenty minutes. While the blue nail polish dried, a camera crew came by. Nat consented to layers and Daphne draped a large cape over Nat, and spun her chair around. She washed Nat's hair in the sink on the vanity, and conditioned it, before toweling it off somewhat and rubbing a leave in cream in. She trimmed Nat's hair a few inches, and created layers on the bottom half. She then got out a styling brush, and used it to tame Nat's curls. Once her hair was dry, Velma came over and spritzed it with something and got out a straightening iron. Nat watched excitedly as her curls disappeared, leaving in place straight voluminous tresses. Once that was done, they left it loose, and Daphne called Bonnie over. They waxed her eyebrows-just as the camera came by again, unfortunately, and covered her face with cleanser. Then, they applied a lightweight powder over her face and neck, to even the skin tone. Bonnie penciled on eyeliner, and swept on dark brown eye shadow, with a little blue at the crease, and Velma swiped on some light pink lipstick.

"Do you like it?" Velma asked as they spun her around to see herself. Nat couldn't contain her excitement.

"I love it!" She looked, well, beautiful. The makeup wasn't too heavy or too natural, and her hair looked stellar. Bonnie grinned.

"Well, Velma and I will get you dressed up now!" She said.

"One more thing, first." Daphne said. "You need to pick your signature scent." She held out a collection of glass perfume bottles. Nat perused through the labels, and settled on peppermint. It was a good clean smell, one that reminded her of home and Christmas. Her three maids took her over to the clothing area.

"Sit here." Daphne instructed. "We'll be back with your outfit!" And they scurried off. Nat sat on the empty couch, and spotted Nicole still getting her hair fixed. Nat waved, but Nicole's attention was occupied elsewhere.

"Hello." Someone said in a soft voice, sitting down next to her. Nat turned, and say a girl with beautiful long light blonde hair and turquoise blue eyes next to her. Her hair was so light it was almost white. It was held back out of her face with a tiny French braid on either side.

"Hi." Nat noticed she still wore her black skirt and white blouse too. "I'm Natalia, but call me Nat."

"I'm Cora Abel." The blonde said. "You're one of the twins, right?" Cora asked.

"Guilty." Nat grinned. Cora smiled shyly. "You're a Three right?"

"Yes. I'm training to be a vet." Cora's smile grew, and her eyes suddenly lit up.

"I just work on a farm, exercising horses, but…" Nat glanced around to make sure no one was listening. She suddenly felt like revealing her secret. "I'm also a jockey. Unprofessionally and illegally, but still."

"Really?" Cora asked. " I love riding."

"Do you have horses?" Nat asked. Cora shook her head.

"No, but I used to take lessons. I don't really have time anymore, with work and all."

"Are you in college?"

"Part time. I'm a sophomore, but I work at a practice as an assistant. I treat a lot of animals." Cora said.

"That's really cool. What's the weirdest thing you've ever treated?" Nat asked. Even though Cora was quiet, she liked her already.

"I treated a tiger once for a family of Twos. It was pretty cool." Cora admitted. "They're such beautiful creatures." She smiled a winsome smile. "I ended up dating their son, but it ended badly when I was Selected. She shifted gaze to her folded hands.

"I know what you mean." Nat said, although the reminder of Ben stung, she tried to push him out of her thoughts. "My boyfriend broke up with me when he caught me at the Service Office. He didn't bother to tell me for a few days, though." She sighed heavily.

"Ouch." Cora said. Nat nodded.

"The stupid thing is, I didn't even want this. My sister Nicole wanted me to go with her, and I thought, you know, why not? I didn't know all this-" She spread out her arms, gesturing to the commotion of all the other girls. "-would happen." She swallowed hard. Cora took her hand and squeezed it.

"We can't control what happens to us. We just have to make the most of it." Cora said. Nat smiled at her new found friend, but Cora's maid's returned with her outfit-a long sleeved knee length lace dress in dark red, with a thin little black belt, and black wedges. She waved goodbye to Nat and followed her maid into one of the dressing rooms.

As she waited for her own maids, Nat took stock of the girls in the room, trying to match the face with the name. However, only twenty four had arrived yet, and most of them looked different now. She caught sight of Rory Bande, the actress. She had seen many of the blonde's movies, and recognized her easily. The skinny girl was in a figure hugging tight hot pink dress that hugged her body, and posing for her 'after' picture. She was already a Two, so a makeover probably had been easy for her. Nat also recognized Alexina Lee, the only New Asian girl, too. Before she could recognize anyone else, Bonnie returned with a dress draped over on arm, and Velma followed with a pair of shoes.

"This is the perfect day dress for you, Lady Nat!" Bonnie said, holding out a navy blue dress. "Put it on!" She motioned to a small dressing area, and handed her the dress. "I'll help you!"

A few minutes later, Bonnie was zipping up the back. She had also gotten Nat a new bra and slip.

"Do you like it?" She asked for the second time. Nat broke into a grin.

"Of course!" She swayed from side to side, the organza brushing her legs. The dress was a navy blue organza a-line, with a bateau neckline and a natural waist. A tiny black flower detail completed the look. She and Bonnie left the room, back out to the sofas. Nat spotted Cora getting her 'after' picture taken. Velma handed her a pair of shoes, just as Daphne returned with several pieces of jewelry.

"Here are your shoes." Velma said, extending pair strappy silver open-toed heels. Nat gulped.

"Heels? Can I wear flats? I think I might trip…"

"It's easier than it looks." Daphne said, coming forward and handing Nat a pearl bracelet. Nat slipped on the bracelet, and sat down on the sofa to put the heels on. As she did so, Velma attached a pearl choker necklace around her neck. Nat stood up, and took a tentative step. It was wobbly, but she would survive.

"So, am I done?" She looked up at her maids.

"Are you satisfied?" Daphne asked her. Nat looked at herself in the mirror, and liked what she saw.

"I love it."

"Good. Now get your picture taken, and we'll see you in your room later." Bonnie said, pinning a small silver pin with Nat's name on it to the front of her dress. Her maids left, and Nat got her 'after' picture taken. She tried to find Nicole, but she was still getting her hair done. Nat was directed to a different set of backdrops, and smiled for the camera. Sophia came up then; looking even more flustered, and told her to go wait on a couch in the corner by the front and wait. Nat didn't ask what she had to wait for, and instead teetered on her heels over to the large circular couch. Another girl was there too, fiddling with the hem of her dress. Nat sat down next to her with a smile. The girl looked up, and noticed her bright red lipstick, and tried to remember her name.

"Hi." The girl said. "You're Nicole, right?"

"Close." Nat said. She was used to being mistaken for her twin. "Natalia. But I go by Nat."

"Oh, sorry. You two look so much alike." The girl said.

"It's fine." Nat said with a grin. "I'm used to it."

"I'm sure. I get mistaken for my sister too, and she's twelve. I'm Adele Warren." She held out her hand, and Nat saw she had bright red nail polish to match her lipstick. She was very vintage, with her short curled dark blonde bob and side-swept bangs. Nat shook Adele's hand. "You're a Five, right?"

"Yes. I'm an actress. Live theatre."

"Like musicals and things?"

"Yes. I'm usually in the ensemble, though. I'm not a professional or anything." Adele peered past Nat, not giving her full attention. She seemed a little cold. Maybe she was just shy.

"I like your dress." Nat fished for conversation. It was pretty, though. The fitted peach colored dress hit her knees, and had a high neckline and short sleeves. It was paired perfectly with a pair of white T-strap pumps. It was vintage, like the rest of her.

"Thank you." Adele said. She didn't elaborate. Just then, another girl hurried towards them.

"Adele!" She cried. "I love your hair!" This girl had wavy auburn hair and blue eyes and was tall and skinny. Adele's face broke into a happy smile, and she jumped up and embraced the other girl. She wore a light blue-green chiffon tea length dress, and cream colored wedges.

"I love yours!" Adele said, hugging the girl again.

"I just got it trimmed and curled. I like it the way it is." She turned, and noticed Nat. "Hi!" She said brightly. "I'm Felicity Weaver. Adele and I act in the same company."

"Really? That's cool. I'm Nat."

"Oh, you're one of the twins! I guess you can relate to us, then!"

"Yeah, it's nice to already have a friend." Nat agreed. "Adele, did you have your hair cut?" Nat asked. The blonde shook her head.

"No, I just got light highlights, and they curled it." She turned back to Felicity.

"Have you seen Cordelia Whitney? I can't believe she's here!"

"I know! Now you can tell her you cut your hair because of her." Felicity said.

"Cordelia Whitney is a jerk." Someone new said. Nat, Adele, and Felicity turned to see a tall girl with perfect red curls, and a face full of makeup. "I rode with her on the plane, and she threatened to fire the stewardess because they didn't have the right low fat macchiato or something."

"Oh." Adele's face fell. "I still like her movies."

"Yeah, me too." The red-head said. "I'm Sirena."

"Wait, _you're _Sirena? Sirena Mastrano?" Felicity asked. "The model?"

"Yeah, well, I'm also a volleyball player, but no one ever knows about that." Sirena joked. Nat took a liking to this girl. "Does anyone know what we're waiting for?" Sirena wore a black and white dress, it was unconventional, but she pulled it off. The top was black lace, and the skirt was fluffy white tulle. She wore heeled peep-toe booties covered in sequins.

"Sophia said something about a tour of the palace." Adele said. The other three began talking about their makeovers, and Nat zoned out. She couldn't see Nicole anymore, thanks to the arrival of the next four girls. She caught sight of Gracie coming out of a dressing room in a lavender tea-length dress and bumping into Mackenzie, who wore a bright turquoise tight dress covered in sequins. Mackenzie began yelling, and Gracie stepped back, seeming to apologize. Nat smiled to herself, and smoothed her hands over her dress.

This was going to be fun.

…

**Well, what did you think? Let me know in a review!**

**If you have link, could you please leave them up for a while? My laptop still isn't fixed, and I don't want to save them onto this one…**

**Next chapter(maybe chapters!) is Nicole's makeover and a request by **4Love4Love4 **who requested a 'makeover special' for her character Amber, as well as Micheala and Tatiana. I'm also going to throw in Amelia and Erin to the mix, and maybe a few others! Thanks, everyone!**

**-Shades**


	15. Stand Back, or Stand Out?

**Have you ever spent a really long time trying to figure something out when it was really easy all along? What abut when there are two answers in the back of the book, but one is in degrees and minutes, and the other is in degrees and decimals, but you thought that meant there was two answers, and you couldn't get the other one? Yeah. Pre-calculus sucks. There goes two freaking hours of my life I'll never get back. **

**Song Credit: "Want To"-Sugarland **

Zanzibaby, theYAfangirl17, delovlies, AthenaofVersailles, majestictales, mnbvcxz-xx, fairy not princess, 4Love4Love4, Demigod-Gallagher-Selected **and **EruditeAbnegationMockinjay** are literally the best people ever. Thanks for reviewing, guys!**

**You know what? I'm just going to do a lot of makeover chapters. I know, I know, you want to get to the good part, but there are just so many awesome characters, I just want to write them all! So yeah! This chapter focuses mainly on Nicole, Elvira, Amelia and Meagan (her intro). I decided that if one of the main characters was in the plane ride, she doesn't get a POV for a makeover, just because that would take like six chapters. Next chapter (sorry!) will be Amber, Tatiana, and Michaela. **

…

Before Nicole quite knew what was going on, she had arrived at the palace, been given a rushed tour, ad her picture taken and was currently perched at one of the many vanity tables, and had met her maids, Ashley, Karen, and Shiloh. Every inch of exposed skin had been cleaned and covered with lotions and products.

"Now it's time for the fun part." Ashley told her. "Your hair. We want you to create your own identity, different from every girl here, including your sister. Who do you want to be when you show yourself to Illea?" Ashley finished. "I can go talk to Lady Natalia's maids to see what she's doing if that helps?"

"That would be great." Nicole said, studying her reflection in the mirror. She had been exactly like Nat for so long, she wondered if her identity had gotten mixed up. Who was she? A girl who had never been in love, who worked constantly on becoming a ballerina, even though she was a Four and it was basically impossible? She hadn't been chosen for herself, no, she had been chosen to represent Yukon. Nicole realized she would have to show the prince and Illea that she was so much more than that.

Ashley returned just after her self-discovery, telling her that Nat had gone fairly natural, and had straightened her hair. That was the biggest change.

"I know what I want to be." She told her maids. "I don't just want to be 'one of the twins' or the girl they chose to represent Yukon. I want to be different, and I want to stick out. I want to fall in love, but I also want to live my dream." She didn't tell them more than that. Karen wrinkled her brow.

"So some kind of princess-ly girly girl meets girl-you-won't-forget-and-you'll-be-sorry-if-you-do?" She said.

"Exactly. How did you know?" Nicole asked.

"It's our job." Shiloh added. "So any particulars?"

"Keep the curls, but I want bangs. And dye. I want to go a few shades darker, and get lighter highlights. Makeup can be dramatic."

"Well, let's get started, then!" Karen squealed. She draped a cape over Nicole, and spun her around to wash her hair. Twenty minutes later, Nicole's hair was washed, conditioned, sprayed with all sorts of hydrating stuff, and trimmed. While Karen worked on the bangs and the dye, Ashley and Shiloh worked on her nails. Hot pink on her finger nails, and gold on her toes. That took another twenty minutes. Finally, Karen finished rolling her hair up in foil things.

"Okay, the color has to set, but we'll do your makeup in the meantime. Ready?" She beamed excitedly. Nicole nodded.

"Let's do it!" She couldn't wait to see herself. Karen spun her around in the chair so she couldn't see herself in the mirror, and the girls set to work. They applied a lightweight liquid foundation, and set it with powder. They dusted blush on her cheeks. Next, Ashley used liquid black eyeliner for a dramatic look. Shiloh applied a thick coat of mascara, and a light silvery eye shadow, just for some glitter. Ashley finished of the look with a dark red lipstick. Then Karen finished Nicole's hair. She un-wrapped the foil, and covered it with a spray, before combing it out and blow-drying it. She used the curling iron to bring a little more definition to Nicole's new 'do, and brushed her bangs to one side.

When they were finished, Nicole could hardly believe what she looked like. For once, she didn't look Nat. She looked like herself. The once dark chestnut colored curls had been transformed to a much darker shade bordering on brunette, but the golden brown streaks kept it lighter. She never knew how beautiful you could look with so much makeup on.

"I-I.." Suddenly at a loss for words, Nicole could only stutter.

"You hate it?" Shiloh's face fell.

"No! No, I love it! I'm speechless." Nicole said quickly. Ashley, Karen and Shiloh beamed.

"Then, I guess it's time for you to pick your signature scent!" Shiloh said excitedly. She held out a tray sporting glass bottles with colored liquid inside. Nicole read a few of the, thinking of what she wanted. _Cinnamon, chocolate chip cookies ,coconut, cotton candy. _She smelled the cookie one but it didn't really smell like much, so she put it back. She finally made it to the T's. _Tea Rose, Tibetan Spice, Tiger Lily, Tropical Passion Fruit. _Nicole picked up Tea Rose and smelled it. It was like a rose but with a smell that reminded her of being at home on rainy days. It wasn't just rose, either. It had a little something extra.

"This one." She said. Her maids covered her with an ample spray.

"Are you ready to get dressed, then?" Ashley asked.

"Yes!" Nicole cheered, grinning. "I can't wait!" Her maids took her to the dressing area, and scurried off to find shoes, a dress, and accessories. Nicole looked around, looking for someone to talk to. She noticed a girl with layered shoulder length blonde hair and blue eyes sitting on a nearby couch, who waved at Nicole, beckoning her over.

"I'm so bored." The blonde said. "My maids put me in this dress ten minutes ago, and have been looking for accessories ever since."

"Well, I like your dress." Nicole said. The girl had on a coral pink knee length dress with straps, and a ruched waist. It was simple, but pretty.

"Thanks. I'm Autumn, by the way. Autumn Hunter."

"It's nice to meet you." Nicole said. "I'm Nicole Roslyn."

"Oh, one of the twins? I didn't recognize you." Autumn said.

"Well then my makeover idea worked." Nicole said with a smile. "I love your hair cut."

"I just got it done…you're a Four, right?"

"Yes."

"I'm a Six. I used to be a Two, though." Autumn said bluntly. She didn't beat around the bush. She seemed almost needing to tell Nicole that.

"Really? What happened?" Nicole asked.

"After my mom died, my dad, well… I ran away. I work as a maid now, but I needed the money, so I entered. And lo and behold, I got in!" Autumn said. She ran her fingers through her hair. Nicole glanced down, and noticed Autumn was barefoot. Also, her left big toe sported a blister. A shock of recognition shot through Nicole. It was weird, though, to get excited over a blister. But Nicole had sported many of those over the years.

"What are you looking at?" Autumn asked.

"Oh, um, you have a blister on your toe." Nicole said, realizing how dumb that sounded.

"Yeah. It's from my pointe shoes. I was a dancer before I ran away. I still practice, but I'll never be able to be professional."

Nicole felt herself breaking into a smile. This girl had just echoed her thoughts exactly. In a random moment of sporadic thought, she pulled off one of the flats she had worn at home, revealing a matching blister of her own.

"I'm a dancer too!" Nicole could barely contain her excitement.

"Are you serious?" Autumn smiled, revealing dimples. "You're joking! I thought everyone here would be stuck up snotty pampered Twos. But you're a Four. And you dance."

"You're a Six." Nicole elbowed her gently. Before the girls could say anything else, Shiloh returned with a dress for Nicole. Nicole looked at Autumn.

"Find me later. I can't wait to talk to you again." She beamed at her new found friend. Autumn nodded excitedly, and Nicole followed Shiloh to a dressing room.

She slipped into the dress. It definitely wasn't something she would have worn before, but this was about being the new her. It was strapless, and more revealing than Nicole was comfortable with. The bodice was bubble-gum pink, with a sweetheart neckline. A beaded sash led to a black tulle skirt.

"Well?" Shiloh asked.

"I think it's perfect." Nicole said. Ashley brought her a pair of tall black stilettos, and Nicole slipped them on. Karen handed her pair of large dangly earrings, and a matching necklace. Both had an art-deco feel to them. Nicole liked them at once.

As she studied herself in the mirror, she only had one thought. _Prince Ethan, here I come. Watch out. _

…

Elvira frowned at her reflection in the mirror. She was at the palace. Great. She furrowed her brow, and glanced back at her maids. They had their attention focused on the girl in the station next to Elvira, who was currently red-faced, orange-haired, and screaming fit to make the dead.

"My _hair! _What have you done to my hair!" She screamed.

Elvira stifled a laugh. She recognized this pre-Madonna as Mackenzie Parker, the girl on the news, every night. The only noticeable difference was instead of having nice summery strawberry blonde hair, it was more of a burnt orange. Her maids were quick to apologize, but Mackenzie would not be consoled. Elvira cleared her throat, and her maids shifted their attention back to their own charge.

"Sorry, Lady Elvira." One of them, she was pretty sure her name was Gina, said. "We'll get started, if your ready." Gina said. Elvira nodded. The maid's makeover ideas sounded a little scary. Although Elvira had requested an edgy stand-out image, Sophia, who was supposedly in charge of all this-had already instructed Gina to give her extensions. After being announced, Elvira had been instructed to return home, much to the satisfaction of her father. She had also been instructed to stop exercising, to make her muscles look more feminine.

As Gina and the other maids, Carolina and Alberta, began washing her short existing hair and adding the extensions, Elvira zoned out thinking about the day. The send off had been boring. Her dad kept saying how proud he was of her, and even Mom had called. Gerda had texted her with a scathing message about how awful she was, but no word from Alabaster, her brother. The plane ride had been significantly more interesting. She had spent most of the time talking to Erin Rusk, a cadet at the Illean Military Academy. Like Elvira, Erin had been instructed to stop exercising. Elvira wondered if she was getting extensions too. All the other girls here had longer hair than pixie cuts, except them. Erin had seemed bored and lackadaisical about the whole thing. The other passengers, Lilly Gaston, a brunette, and Ruby Larson, a red-head, had said little. She only knew they were both Fives. Elvira heaved a boerd sigh and settled in for her beautifying.

The extensions took forever. Elvira was bored out of her mind. Erin, Lilly, and Ruby had finished their makeovers fifteen minutes ago and had left with Juniella Alonzo, Autumn Hunter, and Nicole Rosalyn for a tour of the palace. Elvira sighed boredly, and watched as four new girls walked by her to their stations. She had been trying to memorize their names, and she recognized Dorianne Davenport, Summer Lee, Alana Harowski, and Elly Olsen.

"Did you hear about the Sevens they let in?" Elvira strained her ears, listening to her maid's gossiping. She thought it was Carolina, but couldn't be sure.

"I heard Audra Jepson works at a nightclub! Imagine letting her in-a slut!" Gina responded.

"And Taylor Hollister-she's a professional escort." Carolina whispered.

"What does that mean?" Alberta piped up.

"Professional prostitute, no doubt." Carolina told her. "And that Lissa Dove is a burlesque dancer."

"Which one is she?" Gina asked.

"That one." Elvira could imagine Carolina was pointing. She scanned the rows, remembering these maids were only Sixes. She located Lissa, who looked nothing like a burlesque dancer. She was trying on a poufy pink tea length dress, and all but jumping up and down in delight. Elvira smirked.

"Are the extensions done?" She asked, starling her maids out of their gossip.

"Almost, miss." Gina said. "It takes a long time."

Elvira sighed. She would rather be _anywhere _but here. It was all so dumb! She glanced over at Mackenzie, who was examining her hair in the mirror.

"It's not what I wanted, but I guess that's all you capable of." She snapped to her maids. "I'm requesting new ones to Sophia-who don't mess up your hair dye!" She got up, and stormed off, her somewhat strawberry blonde hair again flying behind her. The three girls looked pretty relieved and Elvira couldn't blame them. She crossed and uncrossed her ankles, and studied her toe nail polish. Her leather boots sat unused her chair, so the polish could dry-Alberta had done it while the other two worked on her extensions. The polish, like on her hands, was black. She wasn't the most natural person when it came to things like this-thanks to her mom living in Spain most of her life.

"Miss, we're done." Gina's reminder startled her out of her thoughts. "We're moving onto your makeup."

"Finally." Elvira moaned in mock distress. "Make it dark and intimidating."

"Yes, Lady Elvira." Gina curtsied, not questioning her choices. Soon, they were covering her eyelids with black liquid eyeliner and a black eye shadow, sweeping in silver. Carolina brushed on a lot of mascara, and Alberta finished with a coat of deep dark red lipstick.

"We're done." Gina repeated, and spun Elvira's chair around so she could see herself.

Elvira hadn't expected this. She had expected herself with longer hair, and little extra makeup. Not this, though. Her dark hair lay just past her shoulders, in loose gentle curls. They had left her pixie cut somewhat intact, only now she had bangs, given volume with a curling iron. Her light blue eyes were nearly swallowed by the dark makeup but, it only emphasized them. It certainly wasn't a Barbie Doll look, but to Elvira, it was perfect.

"I love it!" She surprised herself by practically squealing.

"You do?" Alberta asked. Elvira nodded vigorously. Her maids broke into a shared grin.

"Oh, I'm so glad!" Gina clapped her hands together. Carolina smirked.

"You look so much better than that Sirena Mastrano." Carolina muttered. Elvira didn't ask what that meant, but she assumed Carolina had a personal vendetta against one of Sirena's maids. Gina offered her a large wooden box, with a collection of perfume bottles, to choose her signature scent. Elvira chose one called "Dark Pine". It held the scent of pine needles, but also a deep, woodsy tone. It was mysterious and intriguing.

Her maids doused her wrists in it, and took her to a couch by the temporary dressing rooms and parted ways to find her ensemble.

Several minutes later, Elvira was a whole lot more excited about then the Selection than earlier. She had on a black avant garde dress, made of some cool velvety fabric. It was fitted closely, and had a high neckline and short, tight sleeves. The bottom of mid thigh length skirt flared out slightly, in a somewhat geometrical design. She had a tall pair of black platform heels, pushing her 5'7 frame to 6'0. A pair of silver earrings that looked almost like needles hung from her ears, and she wore a thin silver chain around her neck.

Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.

…

Amelia took a deep breath as Sophia showed her to her makeover station. _It is inevitable. _She told herself. _I'll have to face Erin eventually. _Three women came forward, and curtsied. They introduced themselves as Carly, Chloe and Louise, but Amelia had never been good with matching faces and names. She recognized many of the girls sitting in the chairs from the life-changing Report, but the only name she was able to put with a name was Katherine Page. Her legs felt like lead as she followed her maids to the far side of the room. They directed her to a chair, and she sat down with a sigh of relief. She hadn't seen Erin. Maybe she wasn't here yet.

"Lady Amelia?" Carly-at least Amelia thought-interrupted her thinking.

"Sorry." Amelia said automatically.

"We need to discuss your image."

"My image? Like who I want to be seen as? I want to be simple, yet elegant." She said the words automatically. She had thought about it the whole plane ride. Erica Carter and Alexina Lee had been giggling together the whole ride, and Hana Piper had mostly kept to herself.

"Any specifics?" Chloe-Amelia thought-said.

"Light makeup, and keep my hair the way it is color and length wise. You can trim it, and add some side bangs." Amelia said. Her maids spun her around so she couldn't see the mirror, and set to work. Amelia let herself relax, feeling some tension dissolve as they washed her hair. There was something very relaxing about it. After it was washed, trimmed, and blow dried into loose waves, and the bangs were cut and shaped, they set to work on her makeup. It wasn't much, just a little powder, eyeliner, and lip gloss. Amelia preferred it that way. She chose Peach for her signature scent. It was simple, but sweet, and elegant. Her maids did most of this without comment, before showing her where to wait so they could find her an outfit. A few moments later, she was outfitted in a pastel pink high-low hem dress, with a delicate beading on the bodice. She wore a pair of silver sandals with a slight wedge heel. She had on a large silver bracelet, on each wrist, and tiny matching earrings. Amelia smiled at her reflection. She actually looked good. Really good.

"Cute dress, Lia." She heard someone say behind her. That practical, cut to the chase lilt was painfully familiar. Amelia glanced behind her in the mirror's reflection. Erin Rusk was there, still in the black and white of the uniform except she had decided to wear pants.

"Erin." Amelia twitched her lips into a barely-there smile for a show of politeness. "Hi. It's good to see you again." She practically had to force out the words. Erin frowned.

"You don't seem so excited." Erin said, matter-of-factly.

"Considering the last time I saw you, you were making out with my boyfriend, no, I'm not." Amelia balled up her fists, trying to quell her temper. Erin smirked.

"Oh, yeah. You aren't still mad about that, are you? What was his name? Andre?"

"Alex." Amelia spoke through gritted teeth.

"Right. Well, don't worry about this guy. I can't wait to get out of here and go back to IMA-Illean Military Academy."

"Good luck to you, then." Amelia said, wishing someone-anyone!-would interrupt them.

"Good luck to you. You're going to need it." Erin said, with another annoying smirk. "See, I want to have fun, but I also want to get to the Elite. It'll be my ticket to fame. They'll have to give me credit for that."

"Erin, you don't belong here. You'll hate it." Amelia said vehemently. There was no doubt her ex best friend was beautiful-glowing cocoa colored skin, dark eyes, long lashes, and even her newly shorn hair complemented her look.

"Oh, really?" Erin said sarcastically. "Why not?"

"Because….because…" Amelia sputtered, at a loss for words. "Because you have no loyalty. We were friends for years, and you pulled a stunt like that? The prince will kick you out as soon as he says one word to you!" Amelia tried not to shout as she ranted, but her pitch got higher and higher. As she finished her tirade, Erin smirked-again, and gestured with a tip of her chin to the left. Amelia slammed her eyes shut, trying to erase the last few seconds. When she looked, she saw a camera, collecting every bit of the action. The camera panned in on everyone new least favorite girl-Amelia, and then took it's time leaving. Amelia released a pent up, shuddering breath. Erin spoke, almost startling her.

"You know, Lia? You never really appreciated me as a friend. I was always second to you, to your writing, to your boyfriend. Was it because I was a Six? Well, since IMA, I'm a Two, and your just a Three. And I'm going to beat you in this Selection taking away what you want most, and you're going to watch." Erin narrowed her eyes in a evil smile, before sauntering off.

Amelia blinked at the sudden onrush of tears. She wanted to run to her room and throw herself down for a good cry but she didn't have a room yet. So, as calmly as she could, she lifted her chin, and walked to where the other girls who had finished their makeover were waiting for a palace tour. She wouldn't let this get her.

…

Meagan Stewart blinked as the bulb popped, and the flash of light signaled her 'before' picture was finished. Things were about to change. Who would have thought that she little ol' Meggie a Six from Panama, would be here? In the palace, about to get a makeover? She had been a Five, then an Eight, after the car crash that had killed her parents. Four years ago, she had been adopted by a family of Sixes, and now, she was returning the favor, and giving them all the money for being here. But she wasn't complaining.

"Lady Meagan is ready!" Sophia yelled in a frazzled tone. She turned to Meagan. "Go to station four. You're maids are waiting." She said. Meagan nodded, and walked down the aisle of vanity tables, with girls sitting and their maids bubbling around them. She stopped at a station with a piece of paper proclaiming "4" taped on the back. Three girls, all around twenty, immediately curtsied to her.

"It is a pleasure to serve you, Lady Megan." The brunette of the bunch said. "I am Adrienne, your head maid."

"And I'm Charlotte." A blonde said.

"Indigo." A tall, raven haired girl said.

"Um, I'm Meagan. It's nice to meet you."

"The pleasure is ours, miss." Adrienne said. "Do you know what you want for your makeover?"

"Um…not really. Layers would be nice…" Meagan bit her lip nervously. Did she want to change? She absently ran her fingers through her thick blonde hair. This _was _her only chance. "And maybe some darker highlights. Just a few though."

"Do you have any ideas on your image?" Charlotte asked. Megan pondered that for a moment. _Megan Stewart, exactly 5'0, blonde hair blue eyes, former Five and Eight, now Six. A seamstress. Is that all? Noah always tells me I never look like a suspect, even if it's my fault…_

"Well, my brother always tells me I have a great 'I didn't do anything look' and a sharp tongue. I want to be that…if that makes sense."

"So we'll play you up as a gal with a temper, but only slightly?" Charlotte inquired.

"Yes. I want to blend in, but I want to stand out, just a little. Just enough to stay in the back of his mind for now. Then win with a sneak attack." Megan said firmly. Adrienne nodded.

"Got it. Ready to get started?" She asked. Megan nodded, and sat at the chair, facing away from the mirrored vanity, and towards the makeshift aisle. She leaned back, resting her head in the sink, so her maids could wash her hair. While Adrienne did that, Indigo and Charlotte scrubbed her exposed skin, and did her nails in coral. As that dried, Adrienne cut her hair into layers, and added subtle highlights. While the dye set, the maids got out the makeup, and set to work. After Charlotte blended in her foundation, Indigo set to work on her eyes. She did a light brown outline around her eyes, and swept on light brown eye shadow, and mascara. Indigo finished with a swipe of peach lip-gloss.

"Do you like it?" She asked.

"It needs a little something extra…" Megan determined. Indigo smiled, and dug through the makeup caddy before showing Megan a tube of candy pink lipstick. Megan grinned.

"It's perfect." She said. Indigo applied it. It made her stand out, but just a little.

When the highlights had set, Adrienne took it out, and blow dried it, and heated it into soft, gentle curls. Next, Indigo braided a small portion of it into a braid crown, leaving several pieces to frame her face. It was gorgeous, and just unique enough. Charlotte told her to chose a signature scent, and Megan chose the bubblegum one. It was something to be remembered, but it wouldn't stand out. Her maids sprayed a cloud of it around her, and Megan smiled.

"It's terrific!" She said. Her maids slapped their hands together in high-fives, and took her to change. They dressed her in a simple, dark pink a-line dress, but made her stand out with a pair of red peep-toe heels, and a silver necklace, with a tiny set amethyst at the base of her throat.

"Well?" Indigo pressed.

"What do you think?" Said Charlotte.

"I love it." Megan grinned slyly. The others wouldn't know what hit them, when she made her entrance!

…

**Just a little over 4000 words, and it's time for another update, so I won't add anything else. I'm going to try to update bi-weekly, usually on Wednesday/Thursday and Saturday/Sunday. I might not get the next update until Monday, though. I already have a lot of weekend homework (and it's not even Friday yet) and I'm taking senior pictures with my class on Sunday-all twelve of us! I'm sorry, since I promised this would be with Amber Tatiana, and Micheala, but that will be next, as well as the first dinner, either in Nat or Nicole's POV, and after that will be the first elimination. Sorry this takes forever, but I'm trying to fit everyone in, since it is an SYOC, after all. **

**I also get to sit next to crush in choir, so yay!**

**Make sure to check out "Equestrian Selection/Just Sky" by **zanzibaby **and "Selecting a Wild Heart" by **theyafangirl17. **They are both so awesome! They created Gracie and Mackenzie, and Sirena, Taylor, and Lissa, respectively, so repay the favor! **

**Don't forget to review, and hate math!**

**-Shades**


	16. Image

Zanzibaby, RosemaryAlysse, Guest (Alexina), fairy not princess, 4Love4Love4, Demigod-Gallagher-Selected, theYAfangirl17, TheGirlWithTheRainbowTattoo, mnbvcxz-xx**, and** delovlies **are literally the best people EVS! Thank ya'll so much for your reviews! **

**Shout out to the one and only **zanzibaby **for being a freshman, but being in her school's play, even if she does have to be a man, her character is best friends with her crushes character! Check out her Selection SYOC story, "Equestrian Selection" since she just intro-ed my character, Miranda, and also her story on FictionPress (As Winter Sky Grace)! **

**If you want to read something else your favorite person ever (me) wrote, check this out! You're supposed to be able to post FF and FP links, but here goes nothing: s/3164527/1/The-Hunt**

…

Amber Autumns tossed her hair back, and combed through her thick red-brown curls. She smiled happily at the camera. Today was the beginning of her new life, and nothing could get her down.

"Next!" The camera operator said. Amber stood up, smiling at Alexina Lee as she moved to take Amber's spot. Amber followed Sophia's directions to station three, and approached one of the many makeover stations. Three girls in maid's uniforms with black pumps scurried forward.

"Lady Amber, it is an honor to serve you." One of them, a short girl with chestnut brown hair said, sinking in a deep curtsey. "I'm Kathryn. I'm your head maid."

"An honor, miss." the slim brunette followed Kathryn, and curtsied as well. "I'm Vivian."

"Truly honored." The last one, a blonde, murmured, also curtsying. "I am Alania."

"Oh…" Amber fumbled for the right words. "It's a pleasure to work with you!" She said brightly.

"Lady Amber, we are tasked first with giving you a makeover, and then serving as your personal ladies' maids."

"A makeover?" Amber probably had interrupted Kathryn, but she didn't care. "Cool. We need to talk about my image." She said. Kathryn smiled.

"Do you have any ideas?"

"Yes, definitely." Amber was glad for her experience as a fashion designer, and for some reason, she was glad about her and John's breakup. It had helped her define herself. "I want to look cute and playful, but also elegant. Do you understand?"

"Leave it to us!" Vivian said. "You have such beautiful hair, I think we should leave it mostly untouched. Maybe add some extra curls for now, but we can play with it later on."

"Sounds good. I want bangs, though."

"Okay. I can do that." Vivian said.

"While she does that." Alania stepped in. "I'll do your nails. How do you feel about this pink?" She showed Amber a swatch.

"Ew, no. I want blue on my fingernails, and silver on my toes." Amber said automatically. Those were her signature colors, and she knew it. Alania nodded.

"That sounds great!" She said emphatically.

Less than a minute later, Vivian was washing her hair, after spinning her so she was back to the mirror. Alania worked on her fingernails, painting them a sparkly bright royal blue, while Kathryn did her toenails in a glittering silver. The three of them finished about the same time. Vivian blow dried her hair, and added thick, loose curls with a curling iron. She then swept some of it back and twisted it into a miniature bun, securing it with some pins.

"I'll put it up for dinner." Vivian assured her. "Ready for makeup?"

"Of course!" Amber said, grinning as she bounced excitedly in her chair. Her maids smiled at her antics, and got to work. Kathryn swept a liquid foundation on a sponge over her face, and covered that with a light dusting of power and blush. Alania did a light brown eyeliner, and swept on a little light blue eye shadow and a heavy coat of mascara to turn her tan eyelashes black. Vivian finished the look with a light pink lipstick.

"Can I peek?" Amber asked. She was no stranger to makeup, but she wanted to see what her maids had done.

"Yup!" Alania said excitedly, spinning the chair around. Amber squealed excitedly.

"I LOVE it!" She cried, clapping her hands together. "You guys rock!"

"We're not done, though! You have to get a day dress!" Alania said, matching Amber's excitement.

"First, though, you have to pick your signature scent." Kathryn said, coming up with a wooden tray of sorts, containing tons of little class bottles. Amber already knew what she wanted, but they didn't have it.

"Can I pick two?" She asked, holding up "Caramel" and "Buttercream Icing". Kathryn shrugged.

"I don't see why not. Another girl can pick either one of those, though."

"That's fine. I want it to be Caramel Buttercream." Amber affirmed. Her maids covered her in a cloud of perfume, and took her to get dressed. They left her sitting on a couch, and scurried off to find her the perfect outfit.

Amber turned to the girl next to her. Like her, she was a red-head, only her hair was lighter, almost strawberry blonder, and was in tight curls to her shoulders, whereas Amber's was only loosely curled, and long. She was still wearing her black and white, like Amber.

"Hi!" Amber said, starting the conversation. "I'm Amber."

"I know!" The girl said. "I love your collection. I'm Tatiana."

"Really? You have the clothes I designed?" Amber asked incredulously.

"Well, no, but I wish I could." Tatiana said. "But I love it! I have two of your dresses, and your jewelry set."

"That's so cool!" Amber said, grinning. "Are you a fan of my mother, Julia Autumns? She's a singer. That's how most people hear of me."

"No, my sisters told me about it. Together, we all have several pieces of your collection. We're big fans." Tatiana said, her blue eyes sparkling. Amber felt her cheeks grow warm.

"Well, I'm a big fan of your hair. It's so pretty!" Amber told Tatiana.

"Thank you!" Tatiana exclaimed. She fingered the large gold clip that held it away from her eyes. "It's usually straight, but I thought this looked cool."

"What image are you going for?" Amber asked.

"I should have known someone as talented as you would ask a question like that!" Tatiana joked. "I don't really know. Sort of funny and cheeky, but I was open minded to anything."

"I think your makeup looks great. Your hair, too, obviously. I can't wait to see what your maids pick out."

"You probably could have done a better job!" Tatiana said teasingly.

"Aw, thanks!" Amber said. "So, are you excited about all this?" Tatiana's smile faltered a little. She shrugged, sending her curls bobbing.

"I don't know. It's fun, but, well, I don't know. Are you?"

"I guess. I signed up after my boyfriend broke up with me." Amber admitted. Just talking about John brought back a pang. It still hurt.

"Why did he break up with you?" Tatiana asked, leaning closer, eager for gossip. Amber looked away, suddenly embarrassed.

"Well, I'm not very popular at home." She said.

"You? I find that hard to believe." Tatiana said reassuringly.

"Well it's true. He wanted to date in secret, but after a while, he just got bored. I guess he didn't love me after all…" Amber couldn't decide whether to be mad or sad. "I guess I want to find love. And maybe it's the prince."

"You and every other girl here." Tatiana said. "Except me. I don't know yet."

"Well, it's worth a shot. Besides, it's so much fun!" Amber steered the conversation back to a happier topic.

"I know!" Tatiana agreed. "Speaking of which, I see my maids coming."

The two said their goodbyes, and Tatiana left. A few minutes later, Vivian arrived with a bright royal blue dress on a hanger.

"Do you like it?" Vivian asked. Amber beamed. The dress had spaghetti straps, and flared out, a little on the short side.

"It's so cute!" She proclaimed. The dress almost looked like a romper. Kathryn arrived with a delicate silver necklace twisted into a heart, with a matching bracelet, and dangly silver earrings, with a small sapphire ring. Alania handed her a pair of silver platform heels, with a glittery black bow on the ankle strap. Ambo squealed, and hurried off the change. She couldn't wait to meet the prince!

…

Michaela Williams followed her maids, taking a deep breath. This would either be really awesome or really, well, not awesome. Cynthia, Clara and Maddy-her maids- walked around her in a giggling gaggle. They could hardly contain their excitement. Michaela, however, could. It wasn't that she wasn't happy to be here, no, she was. She just wasn't _that _happy. She didn't know what to feel.

Her maids offered her a chair, giggling. Michaela offered a weak smile, and sat down.

"Lady Michaela, are you ready for your makeover?" Cynthia asked.

"As ready as I'll ever be, I guess." Michaela mustered some enthusiasm.

"Great! What do you want to portray, as your image, I mean." Cynthia smiled-again.

"My image?" Michaela floundered for something that sounded intelligent. "Um, I don't know…" She offered a shrug of her shoulders.

"Well, do you want to be who you are now? Or someone else?" Maddy suggested.

"Myself, I guess."

"Who are you, then?" Clara said.

"Who am I?" Michaela thought awkwardly, trying to think of a decent response._ Michaela Williams…Four….baker. _Her thoughts stopped there. Her maids looked at her expectantly. _June says I'm sarcastic. But I'm also basically her mom. She also says I act way too grown up. Do I always want to be the adult? Well, why did I sign up in the first place? To help June. I still want to, but this is my chance to change. _

"I've changed my mind." Michaela said, surprised by the boldness in her voice. "I don't want to be who I am now. I want to be young and irresponsible, and easy going and fun loving, but not trashy. Can you make me look like that?"

"Of course! That's our job." Cynthia reassured her.

"Okay. Do whatever you want, just nothing too crazy." Michaela swallowed, trying to quell her nervousness. Her maids started giggling again, and spun her chair around so she couldn't see what they were doing. She squeezed her eyes shut, and leaned back in the chair. This was either going be to be a disaster, or terrific.

Nearly half an hour later, Michaela could hardly believe her eyes. Her boring straight blonde locks had been taken from their darker honey color to a light gold color, and had heated into beach-y waves. It had been cut in dramatic layers, including a long set of bangs that framed her face. A few steaks of a color that was barely pink, and mostly tan, highlighted her hair in various places. And that was just her hair. A bright pink nail polish had been applied to her nails. Her eyes had outlined with dark eye liner, making them pop. A coat of mascara had helped with that. Her favorite part with the glittery light pink eye shadow that made her eyes sparkle even more. Of course, foundation had covered up her breakouts, and powder helped it look flawless. A coat of shimmery scarlet lipstick pulled the whole look together.

"If you can do all this to my face, what can you do with my clothes?" Michaela cried. "I love it!"

"Before we do that, you have to pick your signature scent!" Cynthia told her, gesturing to the tray of samples Clara held. Michaela browsed the selection, trying to find the perfect scent. She thought back to her decision to sign up. She and June had been at the beach. That had been the last normal day. After that, in the days leading up to the Report, the bakery had been so busy, there hadn't been time for much else. After she had been announced, it had been chaos. Not only had she been suddenly famous, and had to meet with representatives from the palace, but had been busy trying to settle the bakery into the hands of June and their employee, Kellie. Nothing had been normal since that day at the ocean. Michaela thought back to her image. She had said she had wanted to be irresponsible, and immature, and fun. She looked at the bottles she had already pulled out. Bubblegum, Wildflower, Lemonade... no. She found Ocean Breeze, but it smelled too waxy. She went back to the B's, and found Seaside. _Perfect! _

"This one." She said, opening it and inhaling the faintly salty smell that reminded her of sun and surf. After her perfume application, she followed her maids towards the center of the room, where the changing area was.

"We'll be right back!" Cynthia told her before she, Clara, and Maddy left. Michaela watched them go, and then turned around to find a seat. Sereval girls were clustered on the only couch, whispering together. She recognized Ruby, Summer, Alexina, and Alana. She didn't join them, as they seemed to be gossiping about her.

Thankfully, her maids returned quickly, and pulled her into a dressing room. Michaela took off her black and white uniform, and her flip flops, and put on the new bra and slip. Clara entered after that, carrying a light colored dress, somewhere between light coral and dark peach. It had little off the shoulder sleeves, and was fitted at the waist before flaring out and then fitting again at her mid-thigh. It was simple, and probably something the older Michaela would have liked too.

Still, she couldn't help but like it. She put it on, as well as the four inch heels in black, which crisscrossed over her foot in a zig-zag pattern before fastening around her ankle. Maddy brought her gold hoop earrings, and a gold chain necklace. It worked perfectly with the color of the dress. Michaela put them on, the cool metal making her shiver. She couldn't believe how much fun she was having! She thanked her maids, hesitant to leave the dressing room in the new outfit. She loved how she looked, but was still a little shy about the other girls seeing her. But she couldn't stay in there forever, so she took a deep breath, and followed the maids out to get her 'after' picture taken. After that, she stood up, running her hands over her skirt. _What now? _Luckily, Sophia rushed by her, dressed in black stilettos, and an ivory cocktail dress with a black sweater.

"Great, you're done." She said hurriedly, seeming very distracted with all the hustle and bustle of the makeovers. "Go wait over there, and once one more girl is done, we'll go on a tour of the palace and take you to your rooms." She pointed to a sofa by the door, and hurried off. Michaela followed Sophia's gesture. She spotted a girl with light red curls, in a sunny yellow dress with a tulle skirt sitting on a couch, missing. Next to her was a girl with sandy blonde curls, and a girl with straight honey blonde hair. The redhead motioned her over with a smile, and a flick of her hand. Michaela approached the group.

"We were just noticing how great your hair looks. You're Michaela, right?" The redhead said.

"Yes." Michaela said. "And thanks."

"I'm Tatiana." The red head said. "My maids went off to find me different shoes and jewelry."

"I'm Bryn." The girl with blonde curls said.

"And I'm Gracie." The last girl said. "Isn't this great?" She beamed.

"I know!" Bryn exclaimed, turning to Gracie. "I fell, well, like a princess!" Her curls were caught up with hairspray and a pin, to keep them out of her face, but every time she moved the slightest, they wiggled. They were really pretty, almost like a tangle of vines. Bryn wore a black fit and flare dress with straps and a light blue belt. The skirt was also overlaid in tulle, and she had a pair of two inch heels on.

"I can't wait to meet Prince Ethan!" Gracie said, her blue eyes sparkling. Her light honey colored hair fell in loose curls down her back, and she wore poufy lavender tea length dress. She turned to Michaela. "I love your outfit!"

"Thank you." Michaela said shyly. She didn't really know what else to say. Just then, Sophia clicked towards them, leading a brunette. She wore a light red lipstick, and cream pink dress, with long sleeves, and a lace top. It was very girly and princess-like.

"Ladies, this is Katherine Page. We'll be leaving for a quick palace tour, and take you to your rooms. Lady Katherine, this is Lady Tatiana, Lady Bryn, Lady Gracelyn, and Lady Michaela." She ushered them back out to the massive foyer/hallway, and Katherine fell into step next to Michaela. She didn't say anything, but the two girls kept a companiable silence. Maybe they could be friends.


	17. New Life

**Brownies and chocolate to these wonderful folks for reviewing! **Fairy not princess, Guest and Guest, Demigod-Gallagher-Selected, mnbvcxz-xx, theYAfangirl, 4Love4Love4, crayonsonamap **and **zanzibaby**!**

**Brownies (but no chocolate since they didn't review : ) For **Jurassicjess **for following**, jakenizzyfan1 **for favoriting, and **Everafterhigh587 **for following, favoriting this and me! Thanks so much!**

**Song Credit: I must confess I have begun listening to Christmas music, and Halloween is still a month out….**

…

Nat and Cora walked down the hall at the end of their group, side by side. They had completed their tour of the main floor, and had just gotten the second to begin dropping the girls off at their rooms. Nat was more than ready to get to her room and relax for a few hours before getting changed for dinner. Although it was kind of fun to get all dressed up and cute, Nat wasn't really looking forward to changing two or three times a day. Still, she had had fun with Cora. The blonde didn't seem very talkative at first, but as the tour had progressed, she had begun to open up more and more. Sirena hadn't said much, walking in between Nat and Cora and Felicity and Adele. Cora had told Nat all about her experiences as a vet, and it had been fascinating, especially the stories about treating horses. It made Nat miss her just-launching career even more, but she tried to push Ben from her mind.

"Lady Felicity, here's your room. Your maids are waiting. Dinner is promptly at seven. You won't meet the royal family until tomorrow, so don't worry. Still, please wear the appropriate garments. Your maids will know more." Sophia said, motioning Felicity to her room. Felicity gave Adele a quick squeeze, and waved briefly to the other three before slipping into her room. Sirena's room was several doors down, followed by Adele's. The hallway was seemingly endless, a stoic guard occasionally posted. Door after door spanned out in front of them, occasionally broken by a small sitting area pocketed by a cluster of windows.

"Lady Cora, you're room is here." Sophia interrupted Nat's thoughts. "Lady Natalia, here is yours." Sophia pointed to the room across the way. Cora and Nat grinned at each other.

"Where is Nicole's room?" Nat asked.

"It's down at the other end. It was assigned randomly." Sophia said, tucking a strand of dark hair back into her prim bun. "You're things are already in your rooms. If the décor is unsuitable, just tell your maids." She told them the other things she had told Adele and Felicity, and left them in the hallway.

"I'll see you at dinner!" Nat said. "But I'm dying to see my room!"

"Me too." Cora said, her cheeks creasing into cute dimples. "See ya!" She waved, and turned towards her door. Nat did likewise, and turned her knob, and pushed open the door. She could hardly believe her eyes. The room was huge, first of all. Besides the small foyer that sported a single armchair and a small table opened with a doorway on the left into the bedroom. It was shaped more rectangle than square, the a large, canopied bed on one long wall, and beside table on either side with a lamp that was probably worth more than her whole apartment back home. The opposite long wall was lined completely with storybook windows on the top half, the glass sparkling in the late afternoon sun. Nat left the foyer, and stepped further into the bedroom, her heels clicking loudly on the polished marble floors. A plush cream rug kept the area under the bed warm, as well as the sitting area on the far wall, a shorter one. It was complete with a spotless cream colored sofa, and two matching armchairs, and an ivory coffee table. A vase of light pink and cream roses sat on the coffee table, as well as the expansive desk facing the windows. The prominent color in the room was either cream, or a very pale pink. Nat squeezed her eyes shut, and then opened them. Yup, the room was still here. Maybe change some of the pink for a light turquoise, and it would be perfect.

"Lady Natalia? Is the room to your liking?" Someone said behind her. Nat turned, to see her maids, Bonnie, Velma, and Daphne behind her.

"Oh my gosh, yes! It's like nothing I've ever seen before."

"Would you like to change anything?" Daphne asked.

"Um, I guess so. Maybe everything that's this light pink color make a light turquoise." Nat said, picking up one of the extraneous throw pillows, just one of many on the bed.

"Have you seen the bathroom and closet?" Bonnie's grin rivaled Nat's own.

"Show me!" Nat cried. Bonnie swung her arm to yet another small transition room on the shorter side of the room. On the left, it opened to a massive closet, complete with gold filigreed wallpapering, and a black marble floor. Nat walked softly in, almost afraid to break the room. She looked up, spying a black and gold chandelier. She turned back to Bonnie and the others, pointing stupidly to the chandelier.

"There's a chandelier in my closet." She pointed out. "A freaking chandelier. In. My. Closet." Her maids laughed at her shock.

"Have you seen what else?" Velma said teasingly, taking a hanger from one of tons in one section, showing off a to-die-for black evening gown studded with silver. Nat could hardly believe her eyes as she looked around the room, actually noticing the normal closet things, now that her initial chandelier shell-shock was over. Stuff was everywhere. Little built ins housed gorgeous evening gowns, ball gowns, cocktail dresses, day dresses, shoes, jewelry, cardigans and all the accessories a girl could ask for.

"Is this all for me?" Nat asked, throwing her arms out as if to encompass it all.

"Yes, of course! Who else would it be for?" Daphne said.

"Well, Nic and I share almost everything…." Nat admitted.

"Come with me, Lady Nat. I think you'll like the bathroom just as much." Bonnie spoke slyly. She motioned back out to the little transition room, and into the black and white bathroom on the other side. It was huge too, with black marble flooring, and a whale of a bathtub that could only be called a Jacuzzi and maybe a hot tub, in pristine white porcelain. There was a sink, and place like in the Woman's Room earlier to get her makeup and hair done, and, of course, a loo. The toilet paper was even fancy. But, however, the best part was definitely the chandelier, suspended above the bathtub, as well as the miniature ones suspended above the sink area. Despite the marble floors, the room seemed warm. Nat suddenly felt super overwhelmed. And exhausted. The time difference was probably messing her up, and all the excitement. Nat really wanted to go find her sister, but as she followed her maids back to the bedroom area, the gigantic bed looked way too inviting. She knew Nicole would want to talk, but she suddenly could hardly hold her head up.

"What time is dinner again?" She asked.

"It's at seven. You have a little less than two hours." Daphne said. "Would you like to get some rest?"

Nat tried to stifle a jaw-stretching yawn. "You read my mind." She admitted.

"We'll come back in about an hour to help you get ready." Bonnie said.

"Get some rest!" Velma added. Nat's maid's left quietly, and she plopped down on the bed, sinking several inches down. She reached down, and unhooked the clasp on her heels. She kicked them off, and lay down on top of the blankets. She didn't want to wrinkle her dress, and the room was optimal temperature anyway. She shut her eyes, and felt herself fall asleep, in seconds.

…

Nicole nervously bit her lip, trying not to be nervous. Nothing was going to happen tonight anyway. She wasn't going to meet the prince until tomorrow. Still, as she watched Karen re-curl her newly dyed locks, she couldn't help but think what Nat would think. Her uncomplicated easy-going sister would probably have a lot to say. But Nicole wasn't going back. She liked this, the new her. Ashley had freshened her makeup, and Karen was fixing her hair. Shiloh was back in the bedroom with two different maids, remaking the bed in lavender, instead of pink, at Nicole's request. Nicole had already changed out of the black and pink short dress, and into an evening gown, or what Sophia called the appropriate garments for dinner. It was light blue-gray, with a sweetheart neckline, and no sleeves. It wasn't very elaborate, but Nicole wasn't going to impress anyone but the other Selected, and all she needed to impress was Prince Ethan. Tomorrow.

Her maids had told her there would be a special screening of the Report, of the footage they had taken so far. Nicole doubted she would even make an appearance.

When her maids were finished, Ashley took her outside, and showed her the unofficial meeting place for the Selected. It was in the loft by the stairs that led down to the main hallway. A few of the girls were already there. She wanted to talk to Autumn again, but didn't see her. Instead, she looked for Gracie, but she hadn't arrived yet either. In fact, she didn't recognize anyone. A few names matched with faces, but Nicole was suddenly seized with shyness. Mackenzie entered the foyer, in a revealing emerald green dress with a sky-high slit. She surveyed Nicole's gown with distaste, and went to talk to Cordelia Whitney. Nicole recognized the movie star, dressed in red. She and Mackenzie were both famous, and started up a lively conversation. She recognized Meagan Stewart, in a pretty A-line lilac dress, her blonde hair in a simple updo. Just then, a new girl entered the foyer. Nicole recognized her immediately. Elly Olsen. She had found out the girl was a ballerina, a soloist in the Company of Bonita, after seeing a news report on all the famous people in the Selection. Nicole had meant to seek her out earlier, but had never had the chance. She cautiously approached her. Elly noticed her approach, and greeted her with a sweet smile. She wore a ballet pink sparkly dress, strapless, with an empire waist. Her olive skin clashed somewhat with her blonde hair, but made her blue eyes pop. She was short and skinny. In fact, Nicole towered over her.

"Hello." Elly greeted her. "You're a dancer, correct?"

"How did you know?" Nicole was caught off-guard somewhat.

"It's how you walk." Elly said. "And how you hold yourself."

"I am."

"But you're a Four." Elly pointed out. Nicole nodded.

"I train myself, sort of."

"Interesting." Elly said.

"You're in the Bonita Company." Nicole blurted out.

"I am." Elly copied Nicole's words from earlier. Nicole was about to ask her something else, but was rudely interrupted.

"NICKY, WHAT DID YOU DO TO YOUR HAIR?" Nat yelled as she entered the foyer. Nicole winced, at the volume of her sister's tone, and at the nickname. Nat wore a mermaid style dark pink dress. Other that, she looked pretty much the same. Her rumored-to-be-straight hair was pinned up, so Nicole couldn't tell. Immediately, all the girls in the foyer went silent. Sophia, who had just arrived, glared daggers at Nat, and marched towards her. Nicole felt her cheeks heat up, and smiled apologetically at Elly, and wished she could disappear. Everyone was whispering and looking at her now. Sophia reprimanded Nat in quiet tones, but the damage had already been done. Nicole self-consciously ran her hand through her hair. She had felt so pretty and cool earlier, but now realized her hair job had been a horrible mistake.

"Ignore them." She heard a quiet voice next to her. She turned to see an older brunette, who was probably nineteen or even twenty. Nicole racked her brain, trying to remember her name. _Amelia? _She supposed.

"It's kind of hard." She whispered back, just as Mackenzie and Cordelia burst into loud laughter, looking in her direction. A newcomer had joined the gaggle of mean girls, and looked confused about the joke.

"What? I don't get it." Nicole heard her ask. She recognized her too, another famous actress, Rory Bande. Nicole made out Mackenzie say something about the twins and hair dye, but Cordelia's continuous laughter made it hard to hear.

"I know." Amelia said. "But you're better than that. It takes nerves, to dye your hair. And it looks great."

"Does it?" Nicole asked miserable.

"Chin up, girl. You're gorgeous." Amelia said, smiling at Nicole, and squeezing her hand. She looked gorgeous herself, in a lacy baby blue gown, her dark hair spilling down her back. Nicole suddenly didn't feel so bad. She didn't want to win herself, since she was focused on her aspirations to become a ballerina like Elly, but Amelia definitely deserved to win.

Nat broke away from Sophia, and ran towards Nicole, holding the hem of her dress up around her knees, and stumbling around in her heels. Nicole tensed, expecting more yelling, but instead, Nat through her arms around her.

"I love it! Why didn't I think of that?" Nat surprised Nicole by saying. She hugged Nicole again. "You look great! Wait 'til Prince Ethan gets a look at you!"

"Huh?" Nicole said dumbly. "You like it? I thought you would hate it."

"Are you crazy? I love it!" Nat said. Sophia shot a glare at her, and Nat quieted down, as Taylor Hollister, in a simple dark blue gown, and Dorianne Davenport, in purple Greek style gown, entered. Nat gushed-quietly- to Nicole about her room and her maids and the palace for a while, while they waited for the other girls to come in.

"Alright, ladies." Sophia clapped her hands to focus their attention on her. A blonde in a long sleeved red dress slipped in next to Nat, the pin on her bodice reading "Lady Cora Abel." Nicole caught sight of Gracie, and waved her over. She saw Autumn, talking to Elly, of all people, and waved.

"Before dinner, you will all see a special Report in the Woman's Room. Please follow me in a double file line." Sophia waited for the girls to arrange themselves, and led the way down the stairs. Nicole fell in step with Gracie, behind Nat and Cora, craning her neck for any glimpse of the royal family. She couldn't wait to talk to Princess Christine. Before marrying Prince Andrew in his Selection a few years earlier, she had been a Two, and a ballerina.

The Woman's Room had been transformed from a hectic, helter-skelter makeover studio to a posh sitting area. The tables and chairs and dressing rooms and vanities were gone, making the room seem much bigger. Couches and armchairs and coffee tables were scattered in groupings, vase after vase of fresh flowers ornamenting the area. Nicole followed Nat and Cora to one of the largest couches, and squeezed in next to her sister. Gracie had stopped to talk to Lilly Gaston, who had on a bright yellow dress. Autumn made her way through the crowd and sat down next to Nicole, wearing a dark blue gown studded with silver.

"Hi!" She whispered as the lights dimmed and the immense flat-screen TV turned on.

"Did you talk to Elly?" Nicole whispered back, smiling as Gracie sat down on Autumn's other side.

"Yep. She's a little….spacey." Autumn said, giggling slightly. Sophia shushed them, and the Report started. There were no announcements from the royal family this time. It launched straight into the Selected. In fact, it even looked recorded in a different place. Taren Granger, the Official Host, smiled warmly.

"Good evening, citizens. Tonight, I bring you a special episode. Today, thirty five lovely young women entered our Angeles Palace. These lucky ladies will compete for the love of our second Prince Ethan, and one of them will marry him. Tonight, you get to meet these girls. Tomorrow, Prince Ethan will meet with them in person. And, without further ado, I present to you, the Selected!" Taren's image faded, and music swelled. Clips from the report that announced it all played in tiles, combined with videos of the send offs, makeovers, everything. It changed to a video of Mackenzie, perched in her usual spot, reading off news.

"Everyone knows Miss Mackenzie Parker, the host of the Angeles News, and it showed." The video switched to the airport, the fans going wild. Nicole caught a glimpse of herself, smiling tensely, standing behind Mackenzie. "She is already quite popular, and the Selection hasn't even officially begun. Her signature scent is lavender." Nicole saw Mackenzie smile haughtily, exchanging a glance with Rory and Cordelia. Typical. Her smile faltered as it changed to a different girl.

"Miss Elly Olsen carries herself as the ballerina she is." The video changed to Elly practically sashaying through crowds at her send off. "Erica Carter was bubbly and excited to leave, while Miss Saskia Buchannan didn't seem too happy to be escorted away from her boyfriend, who she claims to have cut off relations with, but was seen in a tearful goodbye with him." Nicole noticed the lower castes were being skipped over much more.

"Miss Autumn Hunter never seemed to stop smiling today. She was even quick to make friends." The video showed Nicole talking to Autumn. Nat elbowed her in her ribs, and Nicole grinned at Autumn. "Miss Megan Stewart, a Six from Panama, showed her beauty today with her touching goodbye that left not only her in tears, but also many of us."

"Well know actress Aurora "Rory" Bande had to practically tear herself away from her fans. Her famous parents, divorced, even came together to see her off, although the tension was in the air between Garrison Bande and Persephone Oswald. We think this starlet will go far in the completion. Sporting heels from Persephone's line, Forever Diamond, Rory was beautiful a beautiful blonde. Alana Harowski seemed the perfect doll as she arrived today. She seemed to get along great with the girls she flew with, and played the crowd perfectly. She wore bright red flats from the boutique she works at, showcasing her auburn curls. "

"Alexina Lee, one of the two novelists, and a Three, was trying to keep her emotions in check as she said goodbye to her family. She didn't seem very excited, but brightened up as she got her makeover. Ava Rothman was excited, but avoided our cameras for the most part. Now a blonde, the former red-head has continually dodged our cameras. Audra Jepson didn't get a warm welcome from the crowd as she stepped off the airplane, but has swapped her brunette locks for red. Ruby Larson was all jokes, laughing at herself, even after tripping over her heels after her makeover, and getting off the plane. She is one of several Fives in the competition. Lilly Gaston is another Five, and this petite beauty could barely keep from crying as she left her family. A Four, Juniella Alonzo quickly got over falling as she climbed the stage at her send off. This New Asian and Spanish beauty was very quiet, but very cheerful and optimistic.

"Fennley's own, Miss Adele Warren, a live theatre actress, flew home from her tour to be with her family. She and fellow tour mate Felicity Weaver will both be competing against one another in the Selection. Adele was a vintage beauty with curls, pearls, and lipstick, which has become her signature look early on. She could help but channel her excitement with a time step while greeting admirers at the airport. Gracelyn Luna, after insisting everyone call her Gracie, could hardly contain her excitement, preparing cupcakes for her flight-mates, and hugging her maids three times over the course of her makeover.

"In a surprising turn of events, we have two not just sisters, but twins fighting each other for the crown. Representing Kent, Natalia Rosalyn was lacking some confidence in her send off, but appeared to regain it after a little help from her sister Nicole." The video switched to Nat and Nicole on the send-off stage to Nicole blowing up at Ben and slapping him. The girls giggled, and Nicole felt herself blush again.

"The twins were certainly excited to be together, although each set themselves apart. Natalia traded her curls for straight, while Nicole went from dark brown locks to more of a burnished gold color."

Nicole looked over at Nat, and gave her a side hug. It showed them getting off the plane together, and then a shot of their shoes.

"Natalia channeled her inner country girl with a pair of riding boots, while Nicole went more feminine with cream ballet flats. Miss Tatiana Sarvex, from Whites, was a crowd darling. This redhead was cheeky and fun as she greeted fans at the airport, and said goodbye. Prince Ethan, I hope you like the smell of sugar cookies, as it is Lissa Dove's signature scent. She also broke our hearts with her tearful goodbye, but out of all the girls, she spent the most time with her fans, showing her true heart. This girl would make an excellent queen. Michaela Williams went from a rather uptight baker to a carefree, fun blonde. Her beach blonde waves are a great new look for her. Before mentioned Felicity Weaver was excited to join her tour mate Adele in the Selection, and the girls had an excited reunion with her friend.

"Fashion Designer Amber Autumns advocated her exclusive line of footwear by pairing a pair of red high heels with her black and white uniform. She chose the combination of two scents to form Caramel Buttercream. This bubbly red head greeted fans every step of the way, and our cameras caught a glimpse of her mother, Julia Autumns, the well know country superstar."

"Well known model Sirena Mastrano gave our cameras and her fans a cold shoulder, not taking much time to greet them. On closer look, however, this scarlet haired bombshell looked pale and overwhelmed, and didn't seem to be feeling well. We hope this gorgeous gal recovers soon! She chose Cinnamon as her signature scent, prompting mystery of sorts. We look forward to seeing her effect on the prince."

"In a surprising turn of events, Miss Amelia Wilde, one of the oldest girls in the competition, was caught in a harsh exchange of words with Illean Military Academy cadet Erin Rusk." The video showed Amelia and Erin, showing Amelia tell Erin the prince would kick her out as soon as he met her, and then realizing she was being recorded. Something about Erin's smirk made Nicole doubt Amelia was in the wrong. She caught sight of Erin across the room, and the muscular girl seemed unfazed.

"One of three Sevens, Miss Taylor Hollister showed up wearing sexy black high heels. We have seen this beauty many times on the arms of celebrities, the ones who couldn't get a date!" Taren quipped. "Prince Ethan, you can now scent her out by her signature scent, pina coloda."

"Dorianne Davenport was all smiles as she said goodbye to the people of Waverly. Her family was evidently unsupportive about her choice, as this Four came alone to her send off. But this girl had a smile for everyone, and that smile brought hope into the lives of many. Bryn Harris, a Five, was quite the lady today. Her beautiful golden curls set her apart as fairy tale princess material, as does her radiant smile.

"Cordelia Whitney was a surprising choice, but a familiar face. You've seen her always in younger roles in movies, such as _Winter's Knight _and _Under the Sea, _but now she's all grown up, and a participant at the palace. Cora Abel's quiet demeanor, and sweet smile sets her apart. She was seen striking up a friendship with Natalia Rosalyn, and was very respectful of everyone. Although training to be a vet, this blonde's looks say quite the contrary. She is defiantly Selection material. Hana Piper set herself apart in her makeover with modestly cut dresses, knee length with sleeves. However, this doesn't detract from her, but sets her apart. She wore low sandal heels in purple, showing off her funky side."

"Gaging from Prince Ethan's reaction during the announcement, I would say Katherine Page and Gracie Luna have the upper hand. Katherine was very nervous getting on the plane in Calgary today, since her oldest sister was killed in a place crash a few years ago. Still, she was very sweet to all the girls she met today. Summer Lee was a little spitfire today. She hugged almost everyone she talked to, even the strangers. Hopefully, this adorable Five won't be hindered by her epilepsy, and will still be able to participate in the Selection."

"Today, Miss Elvira Entrinken traded her private's uniform for dresses and makeup. This gal is sure to be a fierce competitor, since she is in our military. Her makeover look was perfect for her, dark and intimidating. She abandoned her black leather boots for a pair of black platform heels, and killed it in an edgy black dress. Well, there you have it folks. These are the girls of the Selected."

The TV turned off, and the lights came back on. They were checking each other out more carefully now, figuring out who was their best and worst competition. Nicole noticed quite a bit more tension in the room. She herself was looking at girls like Summer Lee and Taylor Hollister differently now, that she knew of their history.

"Alright, girls, it's time for dinner. You will meet the royals tomorrow at breakfast, so be on your best behavior." She led them all to the dining room, and it was chaos for a few seconds as they all tried to find their place cards. Nicole found herself next to Lissa Dove and Dorianne Davenport, and across from Autumn, thankfully. Nat sat at the other table, with Rory Bande and Sirena Mastrano. At the end of both of the tables for the Selected, there was the table for the royals, so the arrangement formed sort of an unfinished square.

Dinner was delicious. The steak was juicy and cooked to perfection, with the richest mashed potatoes Nicole had ever tasted. She tried to pay attention to Sophia's lessons in table manners, but by the time the dessert came out-chocolate mousse with clouds of whipped cream-her attention span suffered greatly. Once everyone was done, Sophia took them back to the second floor. She helped some girls find their rooms again. Nicole said goodnight to Nat and Autumn, and trudged wearily back to her own room. Sophia had instructed them to go straight to bed, and Nicole wasn't going to argue with that. She was exhausted.

Karen, Ashley, and Shiloh had finished remodeling a few things in her bedroom when she returned. The pinks had been largely replaced with lilac colored things, and the cream had been balanced out with a few black accents. Draped over her bed was a nightgown, a silky yellow dress that reminded her of, well, a princess. First, they insisted she take a bath, which was weird, since they insisted on helping her. Once the hairspray and makeup was gone, Nicole almost felt like herself again. She brushed her teeth, and put on the nightgown. After assuring her maids that she didn't need them to sleep in the room, although they assured her they could if she needed them, Nicole settled into the bed, already turned down. The sheets were cool and refreshing, and the mattress was like a cloud. Nicole snuggled further in, but her stupid nightgown got all tangled up and bunched around her legs. She tried to fix it, but to no avail. Oh well. She switched off the lamp, and lay on her back, waiting for her eyes to adjust to darkness. She sighed deeply, and felt her body relax.

But her mind was wide awake.

She would meet Prince Ethan.

Tomorrow.

…

**There ya go! You know how I said I would do more shorter chapters? Yeah, this is another 4000 worder, but I'm trying! I wasn't going to include the Report thing, but I re-read the scene in the book for ideas, and decided it would be fun. Anyway, next chaper will shorter. It's more artsy, and basically the highlighted main characters getting ready and their thoughts on what the day holds. (Nat, Nicole, Adele, Lissa, Sirena, Gracie, and Mackenzie.) **

**Just to get your thoughts, is this confusing? Does it make since to whats going on, or is there just too many characters? Is it too slow? Let me know in a review, and don't forget to check out **zanzibaby**'s (Gracie and Mackenzie), **theYAfangirl17**'s (Sirena, Lissa, and Taylor) and **majesctictales**'s (Katherine) new Selection SYOC stories! **


	18. Anxiety

**I know, I know, even I wish I could update every day, and believe me, if I could, I would! **

**Make sure to check out my profile! I posted a "face claim" for all the girls, and the royal family too! I couldn't find one for my in-name-only character Ava, so just imagine someone you hate, since that's what I did :P **

**Thanks to my reviewers: **zanzibaby, delovlies, theYAfangirl17, Ally G (guest), 4Love4Love4, mnbvcxc-xx, fairy not princess, majestic tales, Erudite Selection/Natalie**, you guys are the best of the best!**

**This is just a little "bridge" chapter! In around 500 words (each POV), it basically gets the thoughts of some of the main characters (I'm trying to 'rotate' them POV wise) and also a snipet from Ethan. Its right before the 'interviews' and the girls meeting the Prince, so there will be more primping from the girls, who Nat, Nicole, Gracie, Mackenzie, Amelia, Sirena, and Adele. **

***Note* Sirena's POV is a little T rated, so be advised. It contains several struggles that she's going through, so read with caution. **

…

Adele sighed dramatically. Her maids hadn't known of her fashion tastes, and it frustrated her. She had drawn several examples, and they promised to have new vintage inspired clothes for her soon, but nothing was 'her' currently hanging in her closet. Although it was morning, Sophia had instructed all the maids to dress the girls in formal evening gowns, since they were meeting the Prince, after all.

She had ended up in a bright sky blue halter top style gown. It was rather plain, but Adele liked it. Besides, it was low cut, showing off her bust, but still tasteful, since it went to the floor. Her maids-Rita, Debbie, and Kara-had saved the day by finding an adorable pair of white tee-strap heels to pair it with. They had also done a fabulous job on her hair and makeup. Her acne was covered up with expensive, for once, foundation, and a little eyeliner and mascara. The light blue eye shadow matched her dress perfectly, and her ever-present lipstick was in place. She finally had started to like her short hair. The blonde highlights, bangs, and perfect curls made her look and feel even more vintage. Kara fastened a strand of pearls around her neck, completing the look.

"Do you like it, Lady Adele?" Debbie asked.

"It will have to do." Adele said simply. Actually, she felt gorgeous, and it had turned out alright, but one rule of theatre told her never to let her guard down. Besides, acting had made her a very dramatic person. Her maids looked slightly upset, like they were about to be fired. Adele didn't want to hurt their feelings, so she quickly amended the situation.

"You guys did well with what you had, though." She said hastily. Her maids immediately brightened.

"Are you nervous, Lady Adele?" Rita asked.

"Me? Nervous? I don't think so." Adele said breezily. Again, acting. She wasn't terrified, but she wasn't cool either. She hadn't felt any heart flutters for any guy before, so what made her think she would start now? She had entered never thinking to get picked, but now that she was here, she wanted to win. Maybe she would be in love with Prince Ethan, but she hadn't even met the guy! One day, someone would love her like in the movies. She wouldn't have to dramatize feelings for the leading man after kicking her legs too high during rehearsal, and making sure he got a good glimpse of her thigh high hose. All to get a small, better paying part, of course.

At the very least, if she could become a princess or fall in love, she might get to marry a Two whenever she got kicked out of here, and she could finally become a big-time actress. Her maids had told her that almost every girl in the elder Prince Andrew's Selection had married the rich and famous. Then she wouldn't have to work in two shows at a time, and stay to clean up afterwards. As long as she didn't screw this up, she would be fine. Felicity always told her when she was uncomfortable in a situation, she would talk way too much.

…

Amelia cringed inwardly, remembering the spectacle she had caused yesterday with Erin, only to have it featured on the Report. Every time she thought of it, she cringed. Now Prince Ethan was going to think she was some stuck up, mean bratty Three who was a jerk to everyone. Well, maybe she shouldn't have said that to Erin, about her being kicked out as soon as he met her. But still, she _had _been provoked. And betrayed. And cheated on. _Maybe I should apologize to her. _Amelia thought. _I can't explain to Prince Ethan. Too much history. Guys don't like history with potential girlfriends. Well, technically I am his girlfriend, but still. _

She watched in the mirror as her maid, Chloe, finished a waterfall braid on the crown of her head. Carly stood by with a hot curling iron, ready to transform her boring brunette locks into voluminous curls. Louise had already finished her makeup-brown eye shadow and dark eye pencil with a little mascara and some lip gloss- and had gone to pick out a different dress for Amelia. Chloe secured the braid with two bobby pins, and stepped back so Carly could curl it.

"I'll go help Louise." Chloe said, exiting the bathroom and leaving shy Carly alone with Amelia.

"You're really good at that." Amelia said, after Carly released another perfect curl and sprayed it lightly with hairspray. Carly's cheeks turned pink.

"Thank you, miss." She said softly.

"So…do you know Prince Ethan?" Amelia asked, in an attempt to break the awkward silence.

"Not personally." Carly said, blushing even more. "I mean…well…I've never served him, but he seems very nice. He doesn't say much though."

"Oh. Well, what does he like to do?" She asked.

"I don't know, miss. I'm a ladies maid." Carly admitted.

"Right. Sorry, I should have remembered."

"Not a problem." Carly said. "Have you ever served the Queen? Or Princess Michelle?"

"Yes, I used to do Princess Michelle's hair."

"Really? However did you get assigned to me?" Amelia joked. Carly blushed deeper, and sprayed another curl with hairspray.

"I'll tell you if you promise not to tell the other girls." Carly said, lowering her already soft voice. Amelia nodded.

"I promise."

"Okay. My brother, David, he's a guard." Carly said. "And, well, let's just say Michelle has feeling for him. I used to deliver messages and such between them. Queen Francesca caught them embracing, and sent me away, to make it harder for them I guess. She didn't want to make a scene. She didn't even tell Michelle she saw them together. Just me."

"Does David love Michelle?" Amelia asked. She was, and had always been, a champion for true love.

"Oh yes. He speaks about her in ways that make me think of fairy tales." Carly's eyes took on a glistening sheen. "But they can never be together."

"Isn't she going to be engaged to the Prince of Italy?"

"Yes. After her twenty second birthday, in a few months."

"It's like _Romeo and Juliet._" Amelia mused. Before Carly could reply, however, Louise and Chloe re-entered, with Amelia's ensemble.

"Sophia said all the Selected have to wear formal gowns. Do you like this?" Louise asked, hefting the dress and the hanger.

"It's beautiful!" Amelia gushed. It was, though. The corset style bodice was fitted and strapless, with a sweetheart neckline. It was cream colored, with pale brownish detailing. At just above her hips, the full skirt flared out in cream colored and nude pink tulle. Her maids helped her into the beautiful dress. Chloe handed her a pair of cream colored wedges, and a strand of tiny pearls for her necklace. Amelia put them on, as well as the dangly pearl earrings. She just hoped Prince Ethan would see past her mistakes from yesterday.

…

Mackenzie knew this would be a walk in the park. This interview with Prince Ethan was nothing new to her. Not only had she interviewed many on Angeles News, she had been frequently interviewed herself, on the red carpet and such. This would be a cinch. Unless Ethan was one of those boys who only cared for the Gracie Luna types. They wanted a Cinderella, a Sleeping Beauty, who would be beautiful and helpless and selfless and perfect. _I'm not that girl. _Mackenzie thought haughtily. She was only here for the money, the fame, the crown. She didn't care about Ethan, and she hadn't even met him. Still, all males had one weakness. Mackenzie grinned to herself, jutting out one hip, and liking what she saw in the mirror. Her new maids were much better than the ones who had messed up her hair dye. They, per her instructions, had worked through the night to create one smokin' hot dress. It was red, of course, and covered in sequins. It helped that it was also very tight and low cut. The mermaid style bodice hugged her curves like a glove, and the push up bra did its duty, and would drown Ethan in cleavage when she talked to him. A little silver accent belt accentuated her tiny waist and hourglass figure. About halfway down her thighs, the dress flared out like a trumpet in scarlet satin. Six inch red stilettos, and diamond chandelier earrings finished it off.

If that wouldn't get Ethan's attention, he must be asleep.

Her strawberry blonde locks were considerably lighter, after the hair dye incident, but the color suited her. They fell in perfect waves on her right, held back with a practically invisible bobby pin, and plenty of hairspray. Eliza, Mackenzie's favorite maid so far, had done a great job on her makeup. Her skin was flawless, and her eyes outlined in thick liquid eyeliner. Plenty of mascara, and a dark silvery eye shadow, and ruby lipstick completed her image.

Eliza was a pretty awesome maid. Just like Mackenzie, the two were already getting along well. On the other hand, Julia, the head maid, was a bossy old hag. The woman was ugly, and yet she had the nerve to be a servant in the palace. She was rude to Mackenzie, and always acted like she expected Mackenzie to thank her or something. The last maid, Caitlin, was a little slip of a girl. She was terrified of Eliza, and barely nodded to Julia. She reminded Mackenzie way too much of Gracie Luna.

Last night had gone well. She had been highlighted on the Report, and had all the girls sucking up to her. Even the famous actresses Cordelia Whitney and Rory Bande laughed whenever she laughed. Mackenzie liked Cordelia, but Rory was already getting on her nerves. She always had to have an answer to everything, and it drove Mackenzie nuts! Besides that, her laugh was the most annoying thing ever! Another person Mackenzie already hated was Gracie Luna. The stupid blonde was always giggling and putting on her sweet little Miss Purity and Love act. Gracie made Mackenzie start thinking about Nat Rosalyn. The girl who had thrown a cupcake at her. She had the whole twin thing going for her, which made her featured heavily on the Report. She didn't deserve what she had.

Mackenzie shook the thoughts of her vendettas aside. It was almost time to leave, and she needed to get her act together. _Can't have Ethan thinking I'm a jerk, now can I? _She mused. Even if she was, he didn't have to know that!

…

Nat sighed deeply, and tried to relax. She usually wasn't so nervous about stuff like this! Maybe it was the dress. The empire waist deep pink gown was overlaid with black tulle, and had corset style top that look almost like leather. It was a little more rocker chic than Nat herself was, but she liked it. Coupled with a black and silver belt above her hips, and black pumps-with a low heel, thankfully-she had to admit she looked pretty good. She still couldn't get over her straight her. It was blown out and straightened to perfection, with a little twisted back and pinned out of her eyes. She wore a wide black bracelet, and a ring that looked like a black rose. It was somewhat edgier than usual, but it suited her. Just enough makeup-eyeliner, mascara, and foundation-refined her image.

Still, she couldn't help feeling so nervous. She just didn't know why! She didn't want to say something stupid, or trip, or have a wardrobe malfunction or something, obviously, but it was more than that. _Maybe I'm afraid I'll actually like him. Or I'll hate him. I don't know! _She was so confused! When she had met Ben, it was different. They had gone to school together, and worked at the same farm, both exercising the horses. They had gradually become friends, and had had a brother-sister relationship. They were always teasing each other, and joking around, and not caring that they were of the opposite sex. When Ben had admitted his feelings for her, that had blossomed suddenly, Nat had realized their friendship had grown deeper. Their relationship hadn't changed much. They were still friends who had fun together, but now they held hands sometimes, and kissed goodbye after a while. It had been nice. No flirting, no romantic gestures, just best friends.

Of course, Ben wasn't dating thirty four other girls he had never met before, and he certainly wasn't a prince. There had been no interview, no Selection, no questionnaire, no lottery. Their relationship just _was. _

Nat hated all this feeling analyzing stuff. Why couldn't stuff make sense? Why couldn't she be like Nicole, who had this stuff all figured out? Why her? Why was she in the Selection? What made her special enough?

Nat groaned, and clapped her hands over her ears. She still had five minutes before she should leave, and still be early to the rendezvous point at the top of the stairs. Hopefully she would embarrass Nicole again. She hoped she could talk to Cora again. She liked her new friend. She seemed very shy, but she was extremely perceptive of Nat's thoughts. She always had a cool story to tell about her vet experiences, too. Thankfully, she sat across from her at dinner. Sirena Mastrano was on one side, and Rory Bande on the other. Both girls were Twos. Sirena had been nice, though. She had been loud and talkative, and talked to everyone around them, despite the Report saying she had looked ill. Rory, though, had said little, and scowled most of the time, looking over at her 'friends', Mackenzie and Cordelia. Still, the few things she had said weren't mean like them. In fact, she was kind of funny, if a little snarky and rebellious.

Nat checked the time again. Two minutes to go. She might as well go now. She waved to her maids, cleaning the already clean room, and got up from her chair, and stepped in the hallway. _Here goes nothing. _

…

Gracie could hardly contain her excitement! She bounced her knees up down, sending the layers of her lavender ball gown into a frenzy. The dress was gorgeous-a silk bodice, and a tulle skirt, with a satin layer of ruching over the hips. It was embellished with glittery crystals, and little rose pick-ups on the hips. Two strands of hair on either side of her head had been pulled back and braided and tied with a purple ribbon on the back of her head. The rest of her hair was in tight ringlets that bounced wildly every time she moved her head. Tiny lilac satin flowers and miniature pearls were pinned on the braids, creating a spray of flowers. She wore a pair of matching heels and and her necklace, with the music note charm. Her makeup was light-bronze eye shadow and mascara with a light pink lipstick. She couldn't wait to meet Prince Ethan!

The only thing that was bad about the Selection was that she missed riding. She missed her horse Zanzibar terribly, since she hadn't had time to ride him since being announced. She had been ecstatic to have her window overlooking one of the paddocks and the stables. She had spent her free time gazing out the window yesterday. All of the horses grazing had been beautiful, well-bred ones. She saw a lot of Thoroughbreds and Arabians, and several warm blooded jumpers. She had even watched Prince Andrew and Princess Christine enter the stable and come out leading horses. They had trotted out of sight, into the expansive woods that surrounded the palace to the east. It had been so exciting though!

Gracie couldn't wait to tour the grounds. The palace was one thing, but the stables and massive equine complex on the south side of the palace looked extremely promising. The palace faced east, with the sprawling gardens, a separate indoor pool and gym, and several other buildings lay west behind the palace. She hadn't even seen the whole palace. Her maids, Lillian, Lizzie, and Summer, had told her about the third floor, where the royal family lived, and the west wing of the palace. They also told her about the servant's quarters, in the basement, or on the north side of the palace. The kitchen complex was under a large portion of the castle, as well as adjacent to the dining room. Right before they had left for the night, Gracie had expressed her interest in seeing the kitchens and her secret project to Lizzie, who was closest to her own age, and she promised to help Gracie.

Gracie got up from the couch in the sitting area in her room. She had been ready for twenty minutes now, after being way to excited to sleep anymore. A thousand questions raced through her mind. _What if Prince Ethan doesn't like me? What if he likes a girl like Mackenzie? What if he likes me? _She had never had a boyfriend before, and she didn't really know what to expect. Sure, she had crushes, but that's just what they were-crushes. She went to the mirror, smoothing her hair. She brought her wrist to her nose, inhaling the rich smell of what was supposed to be Red Velvet, but smelled more like vanilla. Still, it smelled great! Summer and Lizzie came out of the bathroom and closet where they had been putting things away from getting ready.

"Lady Gracie, do you need anything?" Summer asked. Gracie beamed at her maids.

"No, I'm just nervous. I still have twenty minutes!" Her maids went back to their tasks, and Gracie bounced up and down on her toes. She couldn't wait!

…

Nicole wasn't the least bit worried. Sure, she wanted to see what Prince Ethan was really like, but other than that, she couldn't really find it within herself to care. He was a prince, so he probably was stuck up or something. But it didn't matter whether she liked him or he liked her. She wasn't about that. All she had to do was stay for a few weeks to amp up her prestige, and make it to the Elite. Sophia told her all the girls in the Elite became Twos, which made Nicole's plan easier. Now she wouldn't have to marry into the caste, and could instead pursue her career as a professional ballerina. Even if she was kicked out today, she still had plan B.

Although her outfit choice yesterday had been a little out of character, she loved her outfit today. It was a fitted mermaid style gown, in light pink. It was strapless, with a high sweetheart neckline. The bottom part was ruffled, and her waist was accented with a silver belt. She wore a rhinestone choker necklace and a bracelet, as well as drop-down rhinestone earrings. Her hair looked like a story book princess. Karen had expertly curled her pre-existing curls into fine, tiny curls. She had pinned back some of it, leaving a few tendrils to frame her face. Several curls hung down her back, and tiny pearl pins accented the up-do part. It looked great with her new hair color. Shiloh had outlined her eyes with a regular amount of black, and done smoky black eye shadow, and just enough mascara. She had swept on a light barely there peach color to her eyebrows, putting a similar color on her lips. Nicole loved her classy platform heels, when she walked, the clicking heel made her feel so important.

Nicole left her room right on time. She felt the short train of her gown drag across the polished marble behind her, and lengthened her stride down the hallway. Several other girls were leaving their rooms too, but Nicole didn't see anyone she really knew well. She placed Katherine Page with a face, and smiled at the brunette. Her hair was in a soft, romantic updo, gathered back, and twisted into a loose knot at the back. A spray of tiny white flowers accentuated it, and a few short curls spilled out here and there, which made her look like a princess. Katherine had set herself apart by wearing white. She wore a classic romantic one shouldered gown. It was simple, but beautiful. It had an empire waist, and was covered with an overlay of tulle, and sprinkled with silk flowers, like the ones in her hair.

"I love your dress." Nicole said, falling in step next to Katherine while still trying to maneuver her train.

"Thank you!" Katherine smiled wide as she spoke. "I love yours." On closer look, Katherine had a gold bracelet with a small bird charm, and a delicate necklace, a spray of pearls.

"Are you nervous?" Nicole asked. Katherine nodded vigorously.

"I just know I'm going to throw up on him of get lipstick on my teeth or something." She joked.

"I think you'll be fine." Nicole assured her.

"Are _you _nervous?" Katherine asked in return.

"Not really." Nicole didn't elaborate much. "Well, maybe a little." She added, feeling her stomach tighten. A million 'what-ifs' ran through her mind. What if she was kicked out before the Elite, and no one wanted to marry her? What if she couldn't make it in ballet? Was all this for naught?

…

Sirena's body convulsed in a shuddering sob. She gripped the toilet seat she was leaning over, and tried to calm down. There hadn't even been a trigger this time. She rocked back on her heels, and wiped her mouth on the back of her hand. She fumbled blindly to flush toilet, the everyday sound haunting her ears. This was becoming too frequent. She had tried to tell herself this was normal before, but the ugly little word kept coming back. Bulimia.

Sirena stood up, still in her nightgown. Her maids knocked in protest on the door leading to the closet and bathroom, but she had dragged the stupid little couch from the closet in front of it, just in case they also possessed a key. She went to the sink, and turned on the water. She cupped her hands, and watched them fill with water, still crying. She splashed the water on her face, repeating it several times. This wasn't about her modeling career anymore. This was getting serious. She didn't even know why she was doing it. Sirena chocked back a sob, and rifled through the vanity. No pills of any kind. Not even sleeping pills. She took a deep breath, and grabbed her tooth brush. After brushing her teeth and using mouthwash, she could almost forget about what had transpired earlier. She tried to finger comb her hair, but the red tresses were too tangled. She straightened her nightgown, and set a smile on her face, moving to the door. She opened it, seeing the faces of her maids. Abigail and Sarah looked at her worriedly, but Bethany was barely smirking and still trying to look concerned.

"Lady Sirena, are you all right?" She asked.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. I forgot to mention I was allergic to…" Sirena thought back quickly to dinner last night, but could only remember waiting for her maids to leave so she could get rid of it. "I mean, something must not have agreed with me. I feel better now, though."

"Are you sure?" Sarah asked. "I'm sure if your ill then Sophia and Prince Ethan will understand."

"No, it's okay." Sirena kept her smile pasted in place.

"Good, then. We need to get you ready. You look terrible, and we only have twenty minutes."

"Well, I've looked worse." Sirena mumbled, dutifully following her maids back into the bathroom. After she took yet another bath, they parted, brushed and curled her hair, not allowing time for anything more complicated. They did her makeup, plenty of foundation and blush to cover up her paleness, heavy eyeliner and mascara to hide the bags under her eyes, and bright lipstick. They scurried off the get her a dress, and came back with three different dresses after a squabble. Bethany had a slinky gold dress, a notoriously bad color on red heads. Abigail held the logical choice, a stunning drop waist emerald green gown. Sarah had a pretty dress, but it was obvious she would like to wear it, and not Sirena. It was hot pink, poufy, and bordering on hideous.

Sirena noticed Bethany was smirking again. _I guess she's out to get me._ Sirena concluded. She smiled widely. "I like the gold dress. Thank you Bethany." She said flakily, snatching the garment. Sarah handed her the appropriate underthings, and Sirena locked the bathroom door and quickly got dresses.

"Lady Sirena, we're supposed to help you." Bethany said through the door. Sirena pulled the straps of her bra up, and unzipped the gown, and stepped in, holding the glittery thing in place. If there was one thing she could, it was make any outfit work for her. She opened the door.

"Can you zip it?" She asked sweetly, turning around, catching a glimpse of herself in the mirror. She had to admit she looked great. The eye-catching dress hugged her body, even her legs. A few minutes later, she had on a simple gold bangle bracelet, and gold studs in her ears. The dress was jewelry all by its self, and she didn't want to overwhelm the sparkly fabric. Her long legs were made longer with a sky high pair of gold gladiator heeled sandals. She felt like a million bucks. _Maybe I don't have an eating disorder. Maybe I'm just depressed. _Sirena thought, admiring her figure in the mirror. She put on her fake smile again. No one had ever found about her dark parts before, and she had to ensure it wouldn't happen again.

…

Ethan cleared his throat. He was going to die today. Yep, die. There was no way he would survive this. It would kill him, if he didn't just die first.

Interviewing thirty five girl-total strangers!- one of which he would have to choose to marry. Yep, that would kill him, no doubt about it.

Note the sarcasm.

He tried to calm his racing heart, but by now, there was no hope left for him. He paced back and forth in his room, waiting for the appropriate time, clutching a handful of papers. Andrew had told him this was pretty easy. All he had to do was talk to each girl for four or five minutes, and get rid of the ones he didn't connect with. As time went on, it would be harder to eliminate them, Andrew told him. Wesley had laughed when he saw how nervous Ethan was. It was easy for them to talk shamelessly to girls, but to Ethan, it was torture. Both of his brothers were loud and obnoxious. Andrew was cocky and very sure of himself. Wesley was mischievous and never serious or quiet. _But me? The middle brother? Idiot who can't even speak to strangers without almost dying. _Ethan clenched his fists. He would love to be like his loud, outgoing siblings. But he wasn't. _Maybe I'm just incapable. _He thought, frowning. He had always been quiet and awkward and lacking in self-confidence. To his brothers, the Selection was awesome. To him, it was awful.

He sat down heavily at his desk. Weren't there more important things that getting married right now to do? He shuffled through his papers, trying to find something to distract him in his last few minutes. Everything he found, though, had to do with the Selection. Lists of girls, pictures of girls, forms of girls, more lists of girls, it was endless.

He found one where he and his brothers had rated them on their appearance. Elvira, Amelia, Gracie, Mackenzie, Sirena, Taylor, and Rory were the front runners. Based on notes from last night's special Report, he had a slight idea of who he was going to send home. A couple girls obviously didn't want to be here anyway.

_Yeah, me neither. _Ethan mused. He would give anything to away from all this, riding his horse, or just not having to worry about anything. But he was out of luck. Oh well.

_Let's do this. _

…

**Make sure to review! It usually helps your character, in case you were wondering! Just because I don't want to write someone's character who doesn't even read this, that's a waste of my time. This is an interactive story! Make sure to check my profile for visuals! Next chapter will be part one of the interviews, since it's sure to be long, from Ethan's POV. **

**Goodnight!**

**-Shades**


	19. QA-Interveiws Part One

**Hey everyone! This is interviews (part one) no one gets eliminated, so don't worry (yet!) I don't know how soon the next chapter will be, since I'm going to start working on finishing my fictionpress story, and one of our goats has an imminent blessed arrival, and baby goats are very distracting! Song Credit: "Day Drinking" by Little Big Town. **

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed! (**zanzibaby, mnbvcx-xx, majestictales, TheGirlWithTheRainbowTattoo, Fairy not princess, theYAfangirl17, 4Love4Love4, delovlies, Alexina's creator/Guest, Demigod-Gallagher-Selected, EruditeAbnegationMockinjay, **and my new reviewer**, Everafterhigh587**! I love you guys!**

…

Ethan took a deep breath, and opened the door. Immediately the high pitched chatter of thirty five girls came to an utter silence. There was a visible wave of movement, as the girls all sat up straighter, tossed their hair, adjusted their gowns, and quickly smiled. He tried to recognize them, but all the names and pictures he had memorized plummeted straight into elsewhere. He suddenly had no idea what to do.

"Welcome, your Highness." Sophia murmured, sinking into a curtsey. The girls clumsily followed suit, getting quickly to their feet, and curtsying. Ethan managed a half-smile, and a nod. His eyes moved back to the girls, who had all 35 pairs of eyes glued to him. It was probably the new most awkward moment of his life.

He saw Mackenzie Parker tug down the already low neckline of her red dress, and suck in a breath. Gracie Luna, the girl who had caught his eye during the Report, had turned pink, but was grinning from ear to ear. He studied her. She was pretty, and he expected to feel something more than nervousness. But nope, nothing. This was hopeless.

He awkwardly cleared his throat. "Thank you, ladies. It's a pleasure to finally see you in person." Immediately after speaking, he realized how idiotic that sounded. "Um, I mean…" He let his words trail off, feeling the tips of his ears get hot. He cleared his throat again, catching Sophia's glance, prodding him forward. He peeked down at the paper in his hands, but could barely read the handwriting. He had a whole speech prepared, but he couldn't even remember _how _to read at this point. "I don't want to take too long, since I know you all are probably all hungry for breakfast…." Ethan stopped, trying to remember what else to say. Gracie was grinning at him like he was Shakespeare. Lissa Dove looked at him hopefully, but her smile was fading.

"Well, I'll be taking you aside and chatting a few minutes, to get to know you a bit." He didn't mention he would be eliminating many of them. "Um, please continue to talk amongst yourselves, though." He realized how much he wounded like Sophia. The girls kept staring at him. Ethan cleared his throat again, and walked over to the far corner of the room, where two unoccupied armchairs sat, a small table between them. He felt the girl's eyes follow his every movement. He looked at the list in his hand, to see who to call first.

"Um, Miss Cora Abel?" A pretty blue-eyed blonde walked nervously out of the standing girls towards him. Sophia instructed the other girls to sit and whisper to each other. Ethan offered Cora a smile. She was a very lovely girl, dressed in a long sleeved blue gown.

"Hi." She said softly, smiling. "I'm Cora."

"I'm Ethan. Um, you probably already knew that." He said. Cora laughed softly. Ethan shuffled through the forms until he found hers. "You're a Three? In college?"

"Yes. Um, I'm in vet school, but I work as an assistant too." Cora said, biting her lip. They made eye contact for a brief moment, but Cora blushed and looked away.

"Sorry…I'm not very good at this." Ethan apologized.

"Me neither." She admitted.

"So, you're going to be a vet?"

"Yes. I love animals, so…" Cora bit her lip again, but her eyes looked bright from talking about her passion.

"That's good…." Ethan said. They sat there nearly a minute, neither of them saying anything.

"So, tell me about yourself." Ethan mustered up some courage.

"Um, well, I used to live in the German Federation. I moved here when I was five."

"Do you like it here?" Ethan asked. Cora nodded.

"I don't remember it much, but I like it here just fine. The only thing is the castes. It's hard to get used to."

"I imagine so." Ethan said, not knowing what else to say. "Um, well it was nice talking to you, but I have thirty four others, so I must cut this short. I look forward to talking to you soon, though."

"Thank you, your highness." Cora said, smiling. She stood up elegantly, and smoothed her gown. He smiled back, and Cora walked back to her seat. The other girls had stopped talking, and had their eyes riveted on her. Ethan stood up.

"Miss Juniella Alonzo?" He said. The thirty five pairs of eyes shifted from him to the girl standing up. Ethan sat back down, and waited for the brunette to make her way over to him. She wore a black and white polka dot dress, and seemed very nervous.

"Good morning." She said meekly.

"Good morning." Ethan responded. Juniella sat down, and Ethan found her form. She didn't say anything, so Ethan figured it would be up to him.

"uh, you're form indicates you're parent's own a restaurant?"

"Yes. I work there."

"Tell me about…" Ethan asked. This girl didn't seem to want to open up.

"Well, my mom was a Five, and she married my dad and opened a restaurant. We serve traditional Asian dishes. My mom is Asian, and my dad is Spanish."

"That's cool." Ethan said, figuring that's why she was so pretty. Juniella didn't say anything else.

"How are you liking the palace, Juniella?"

"It's nice…"

All attempts to talk to the shy girl failed, and she wouldn't even look at him, so Ethan cut their time short.

"It's been nice talking to you. You may go." He said. They both stood up, and Juniella walked back to her seat. Ethan looked at his list. "Miss Amber Autumns?" A vivacious looking redhead stood up, and Ethan sat down and waited for her to make her way over here. _Why do I feel like I'm conducting job interviews? One of these girls is going to be my wife…_

Amber sat down across from him, smoothing her silver silk gown. She smiled happily at him. Closer up, she was beautiful. Full, red-brown curls, long eyelashes, and amber colored eyes.

"Hello!" She chirped. Ethan smiled, relaxing slightly. He liked this girl already.

"Hi, Amber. I'm Ethan."

Amber giggled slightly. "I know." She said.

"Were you named for your eyes?" Ethan found himself asking, surprised at his boldness. Amber nodded, and moved her hair out of her eyes.

"I was." She said, looking happy he connected that.

"So, tell me about yourself?" Ethan asked, trying to be friendly.

"Like, the stuff everyone wants to hear? I'm a Two, I design clothes, and I'm from Dominica." Amber spoke with a hint of sassiness. "But what I'm really like? Well, I've always wanted to fall in love, I love to write and watch movies, and someday, I will stop being looked down on. I get bullied a lot."

For some reason, Ethan found that hard to believe? This girl seemed like everyone would want her as a friend.

"Why?" He blurted out. Amber shrugged casually.

"I don't know. It's mostly the kids at my school. Ever since kindergarten. I'm hoping I can start over here."

"Me too. If anyone is mean to you, come talk to me, okay?" Ethan said. Amber smiled again.

"Okay. I guess time's up, then. It was nice to finally meet you, Ethan." She said, getting to her feet. She waved, and walked back to her seat. Ethan looked at the next name, trying not to show a reaction that would set the girls in a tizzy. He liked Amber. He liked that she was strong. He liked that she saw him for Ethan, and not the prince.

"Miss Aurora Bande?" Ethan called out. He recognized the blonde when she stood up. He had seen her in several television shows. Her white and gold mermaid style gown was very stunning on her curvy figure. She smiled flirtatiously at him, and sat opposite from him, crossing her legs to show off her platform heels.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Prince Ethan." She seductively, peering up at him through her lashes. Ethan swallowed hard-this girl knew how to use her charms, all right.

"The pleasure's all mine, Lady Aurora."

"Oh, please, call me Rory. Everyone does."

"Okay." Ethan managed. She leaned forward, to adjust the hum of her gown, giving him a long look down her strapless dress.

"I'm sure you've heard of me?" Rory inquired. Ethan nodded. Rory smiled like she was on the red carpet.

"I'm not nearly as famous as you, though." She laid her hand on his knee, all but purring. Ethan's pulse jumped, and he swallowed again.

"Y-you're not a princess, though." As soon as he said it, he regretted it. Rory smiled again.

"Not yet, anyway." She said, twirling a strand of her straight blonde hair around her finger. Ethan cleared his throat. He needed to end this-now.

"I must admit we are out of time, Lady Rory." He said, practically jumping to his feet. She pouted, but stood up anyway. He didn't offer to help her, though. Her touch made him feel too lightheaded. "It was nice talking to you."

"You're not going to send me home, are you?" Rory asked innocently.

"No." Was all Ethan could say. What should he tell her, yes? He liked her, but she was deadly. Rory smiled again, and curtsied, leaning forward again so he could see down her bodice, before walking back to her seat with the other celebrities here. Ethan took a deep breath, trying to refocus on the task at hand.

"Miss Saskia Buchannan?" He inquired. A brunette flounced her way over to him, and plopped down in her seat.

"Ain't ya going ta kiss my hand or somethin'?" She drawled. Ethan complied, begrudgingly. She was a Six, after all.

"Lady Saskia, tell me about yourself." Ethan started.

"Well, I'm a Six, and I work fa this disgustin' ol' man docta as his secretary. He leaves me tips, though, lika waitress if I wear shorta skirts." Saskia said. Her voice was very loud, and all the girls were watching them. Ethan noticed she wore a skin tight black gown.

"What are you interested in?" Ethan asked, trying to keep his voice pleasant.

"Oh, ya know, the usual." Saskia didn't elaborate.

"Well, I'm afraid that's all the time have. It was lovely meeting you."

"Aw, that's all the time we have?" She whined.

"Yes, I'm afraid so." Ethan lied. Saksia stood up, and stalked back to her seat. Ethan sighed in relief. He had at least one to eliminate now.

"Miss Erica Carter?" He asked. A girl with curly brown hair approached. She wore a green ball gown, and cat eyeliner.

"Prince Ethan." She murmured, curtsying. She took her seat, giggling. Although she was a Six as well, she was much better behaved.

"Lady Erica." He said in turn. "It's nice to match a face with a name."

"Oh, believe me, I know!" Erica said.

"What do you do for a living?" Ethan asked pleasantly.

"I'm a maid. A Six." Erica said. She chatted a little about her mom's laundry business.

"Do you have any other family members?" He asked.

"My dad and my brother died in the military." Erica's bubbly voice suddenly became accusatory. She glared at him for a moment, before looking at her lap. Her voice lowered to barely above a whisper. "I'm sorry, but… I can't stay here. I know you're going to eliminate some girls after this. Maybe you could let me go home. I feel like I'm dishonoring my father and brother."

"I'm sorry." Ethan said dumbly. "I'm sure that can be arranged."

"Thank you." Erica said, getting up. She curtsied, and returned to her seat.

"Miss Dorianne Davenport?" Ethan announced after a moment. A slight girl stood up, and walked towards the meeting place. She wore a one shoulder dark mauve colored greek style gown. Her shoulder length dark hair was held back with a purple circlet, and only a little makeup. She walked carefully and unsteady-probably thanks to her high heels. She finally sat down, giving him a shaky smile.

"Prince Ethan, it is so great to be here." She said softly, her face shining with hope. "Thank you."

"Is there a particular reason?" He inquired.

"Yes. I'm glad to get away from home. My foster mother wasn't though. She was mad. But I don't ever have to see her again."

"Did she do anything to you?" Ethan was surprised at his sudden protectiveness of Dorianne.

"…no. She just…didn't take care of me much." Dorianne said. Ethan had the feeling she wasn't telling the whole truth.

"So you're a Four?"

"Yes, but we live like Sevens and Eights." Dorianne admitted. "Ever since my adopted dad died, my mom's an alcoholic."

"I'm so sorry." Ethan surprised himself by taking her small hand in his. Dorianne blushed pink, and smiled.

"It's all behind me now anyway." She said. She looked him, her eyes sparkling him hope. She was beautiful, even without much makeup. "Can I tell you something?" Dorianne whispered, leaning closer. Ethan nodded.

"' Be not afraid of greatness: some are born great, some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them.'" She said, before squeezing his hand and departing. The words sounded familiar, but Ethan could not place them. He shook off his stupor, and called the next girl over.

"Miss Melissa Dove?" He asked. A girl in a light blue ball gown made her way over to him, followed by the jealous eyes of the other girls. She sat down across from him, nervously smoothing her ombre dyed dark blonde hair.

"Hi!" She squeaked out. Contrary to Dorianne, her eyes held only a glimmer of hope, and she seemed somewhat disappointed. "Call me Lissa. Melissa's a bit of a mouthful."

"Alright, Lissa. It's nice to meet you face to face."

"Yes, it is." Lissa frowned slightly, and then seemed to notice it, and perked up. "So…?" She said questioningly.

"Right." Ethan said quickly. "So, you're a Seven?" Even though she was a lower caste than Saskia, she was very well mannered. Lissa's cheeks turned red, and she looked down, nodding slightly.

"Yes." She said, barely above a whisper. "I suppose you know what I do. I hate it, though. I just need the money."

"It's nothing to be ashamed of, Lissa. It's noble of you."

"Really?" Lissa perked up.

"Yes. Burlesque dancing is something you hate and something society judges you for, yet you do it, just to help your family. I admire you for that."

"I never thought of it that way." Lissa admitted, her gray eyes sparkling. "Thank you."

"Anytime." Ethan said, not knowing what else to say. They sat in silence, Lissa fidgeting with her skirt.

"I guess I should let the next girl have her turn." Lissa spoke offhandedly.

"Well, I look forward to speaking with you again."

"You're not sending me home?" Lissa asked. Ethan smiled, and shook his head.

"That would be a huge mistake, I think." He said. Lissa broke into a grin, and then turned pink. She curtsied, and scurried back to her seat. Ethan rose to call the next girl.

"Miss Elvira Entrinken." He announced, swallowing hard when he saw the intended. She looked terrifying. Dark, edgy makeup made her light gray eyes penetrate him, and made her look mean. Her avant garde dark purple gown was revealing, the sides cut out and the neckline low. The holes were covered with black gauze. The dark colors set off her pale skin. Elvira looked nothing like she did in her picture. Her short hair fell to her shoulders, and was wavy, pinned out of her eyes on one side. She raised her eyebrows, coming to a stop in front of him. Ethan realized he had been staring.

"Ahem…Lady Elvira." He said, bowing. She smiled slightly, and dropped a clumsy curtsey. Ethan motioned to the chair, and she sat. Ethan did likewise, and shuffled through his papers to find her form. He skimmed it, remembering she was in the army. "First of all, thank you for your service to our great country. And thank you for taking time off to participate."

"Well I didn't have much of a choice." She said bitterly. Ethan wondered with a sinking feeling if she was going to ask him to send her back. Even though she was edgy and different, there was something about her he couldn't put his finger on that attracted him.

"Your father is the German ambassador for Illea, correct?" Ethan asked politely.

"He is. He made me do all this." She flicked her wrist at the surrounding area, revealing black fingernail polish. "Sort of like redemption. You see, your older brother would probably know my sister, Gerda."

"Oh, yes." Ethan said, remembering. Gerda had been at the palace in Andrew's Selection until the final three, when she and Isabelle Chadwick had been booted, and Andrew had married Christine. Ethan had avoided his brother's 'girlfriends' at all cost, though. Still, he remembered Gerda from meals. Like Rory, she was slutty. She had even tried to make a move on Ethan one night on her way back to her room. He had ran in the other direction. Still, when around Andrew, she was silky and sweet.

"Well, he wanted her to come back, but she's too old. Besides, she lives in Spain with my mother. So he chose me. I made him a promise when I enlisted that I would sign up. I was hoping he would forget, though."

"So you are unhappy here?"

"…I mean, it could be worse. The food is great, everything is so fancy, and I'm a Two."

"I'm hoping you won't mind if I keep you for a while. I'd like to get to know you better." Ethan was surprised by his own boldness. "Maybe we could go on a date sometimes."

"Tell me it won't be a candlelight dinner or a stroll through the gardens." Elvira teased.

"We could go…" Ethan tried to think of something this girl would like to do. "Maybe swimming or something. We have an Olympic sized swimming pool."

"No! I mean…I'm sorry. Maybe we could go to a shooting range or something."

"That's sounds…fun." Ethan wondered why he hadn't thought of that. Maybe she intended to kill him or something.

"I promise I won't shoot you." Elvira seemed to read his mind.

"I promise I'll take you there." Ethan said, realizing he had spent longer with Elvira than any of the others. "But I need to get through the list."

"Right, sorry. I'll hold you to your promises." She said, rising.

"I'll hold you to yours." Ethan attempted a joke. Elvira smiled, at any rate, and went back to her seat. Ethan watched her go, realizing all the girls were shooting daggers at Elvira.

"Miss Lilly Gaston?" He called. A tiny girl with brown hair and a modest plain blue gown approached. She sat down and Ethan noticed she was trembling.

"Are you alright, Lady Lilly?"

"Yes." The girl whispered. Her mouth moved, but no sound came out. Ethan checked her form, seeing she was a Five and only fifteen.

"I see you're a Five." He motioned to the form. "Do you play any instruments?"

Lilly nodded, but said nothing.

"Which ones?" Ethan pressed, glad he wasn't as shy as Lilly.

"Cello. And flute." Lilly said. Well, he thought that's what she said. She was so quiet it was hard to hear. He tried to make further conversation with her, but she never looked at him, and nodded or shook her head and gave one word answers. After a couple painfully slow minutes, he said goodbye, and called the next girl.

"Miss Alana Harowski?" A girl with auburn hair strolled over to him wearing a clashing red dress.

"Good morning, your Highness." She sank into a deep curtsey.

"Ah, yes, um, good morning, Lady Alana."

"It's a good morning, now that I get to see you." Alana said cheekily. She sat in the chair, tossing her sausage roll curls. "I'm ever so glad to finally meet you."

"Uh, likewise." Ethan shifted in his seat.

"Your Highness, I so appreciate this opportunity. It is such an honor to finally meet you. Ever since I was a little girl, I dreamed about coming here to meet you. Now that I finally am, I know that I have made the right choice. Your Highness, I know we will grow old together. I can hardly wait for you to announce it." Alana said, her speech very well-rehearsed. Ethan lurched backwards in his chair.

"Wait, what? Slow down, slow down. Don't you think this is a little sudden?" He could feel his heart pounding with the shock. "We've hardly said ten words to each other!"

"Don't you like me?" Alana pressed.

"I hardly know you!" Ethan's voice was increasing in volume, but this girl had caught him by surprise. "I'm sorry, I'm going to have to cut our meeting short. I have a lot of other girls to meet." He said, standing quickly. Alana copied him, leaning in close.

"I love you." She whispered, suddenly inches from his face. Ethan practically leaped backwards.

Ethan felt his face turn hot. "Excuse me, Lady Alana. You may be seated." She waved at him, and skipped merrily back to her seat. Ethan sat down, his heart racing. That was almost scary. He was more afraid of Alana than Elvira now. He knew he couldn't live with that overbearing red-head around.

After calming down, he called the next girl. "Miss Brynlee Harris?" He scanned the room, trying to pick out who it would be. A girl with what could only be described as a tangle of blonde curls, in a simple yet elegant light blue dress. She greeted him with a small smile, and sat down across from him.

"Prince Ethan, it is a pleasure to meet you." She said in quiet voice.

"The pleasure is all mine, Lady Brynlee."

"Please, call me just Bryn. All that lady stuff scares me. I can still hardly believe I'm here!" Bryn spoke softly, making Ethan even more intrigued to listen to her lovely voice. _She must be a Five. _He mused, sneaking a glance at her form. _Yep. _

"Well, I'm very glad you are." Ethan told her. "Are you finding everything to your liking?"

"Oh, yes! The food is heavenly, and my maids are so nice, and I've never had such pretty things to wear!" Bryn's smile grew. "And the instruments in my room! I've never seen such a beautiful piano!"

"What area do you work in, as a Five?" Ethan inquired.

"I play the piano, sometimes I sing too, at parties or in orchestras at plays and concerts." Bryn was clearly passionate about the subject. She told Ethan a few stories about where she had played, but he was mesmerized by her voice, and found himself paying less attention to her words and more to her voice. Plus, he was trying to figure out if her eyes were blue or gray. After a while, he realized he probably should move onto the next girl.

"I enjoyed talking to you, Bryn." He said. She dimpled, and nodded.

"I did too. Well, talking to you, not to me…yeah." She finished, flushing at her stumble over words. They both stood up, and Bryn headed back to her seat. Ethan looked at his list. He still had twenty three to go.

"Miss Taylor Hollister?"

A girl with dark brown waves and a purple gown appeared to be Taylor. She, unlike all the others, didn't look happy.

"Your highness." She murmured, curtseying.

"Lady Taylor." Ethan responded. They both sat down. Wow, she was gorgeous.

"Tell me about yourself, Lady Taylor?"

"I'm a Seven from Sota." She said automatically. "I work as a professional escort. Albeit begrudgingly."

"What would you rather be doing?"

"Not dangling of the appendage of some haughty, opulent male with a slit in my dress all the way to here." She indicated by karate-chopping her thing with her hand, just below her hip bone. "I want to put my mind to use." Taylor finished with a scowl. Ethan looked down at her form, surprised to see she knew eleven languages.

"It says on your form you know eleven languages, but-"

Taylor finished his sentence. "I'm a Seven? Yeah, well. I only work on weekends, and if we want to pretend to be dates for Twos, we better act like it." She crossed her arms, and looked sideways. Even though she was hostile, Ethan didn't want to send her home just yet. She was too…something. She challenged him, and he liked it. She didn't say anything else.

"Well, Lady Taylor-"

"Could you please not call me that?" She spat.

"Um, okay. Miss Hollister, I-"

"Or that?" Taylor demanded. "Just Taylor, please?"

"Okay, Taylor. Would you mind terribly if I didn't send you home just yet?"

"I don't exactly have say in it, do I, _Prince _Ethan." She said bitterly. She sighed heavily, and whispered something to herself. "'C'était beaucoup et beaucoup il ya un an. Dans un royaume de la mer'". She spoke in French. She sighed again, and stood up and curtsied. Ethan replayed her words in his head. Something about many years ago in a kingdom by the sea. He had no idea what that meant. He decided to call the next girl anyway.

"Miss Autumn Hunter?"

A girl with short, layered blonde hair and a dark blue dress stood up from her seat next to one of the twin girls, and walked towards him. "Prince Ethan, hello." She said, still a few feet away from him. "I'm Autumn, a Six, yes. Province, Paloma. I'm a maid." She said, all before sitting down. She was very blunt and to the point, apparently. "I used to be a Two, but, well, I ran away."

"It's nice to meet you." Ethan said, still trying to absorb all she had said.

"Yes, it is. What are you wanting to talk about?"

"Um, just to get a little feel for your personality."

"And you're going to eliminate some of us when you're through, right?" Autumn guessed.

"Well…yes. Thirty five is a lot."

"I guess it's useless to try to beg you not to send me home. I could pretend to be sweet as sugar, or show off my attributes to the point of a whore, but I don't know what you like, see?" Autumn said it all with a straight face, but he could tell she was being sarcastic. "You could like loud and rude, like Mackenzie. Or scary and silent, like Elvira. Or maybe boring and shy like Lilly. Or even someone like Saskia."

"I assure you, I do not like Saskia." Ethan admitted. "And I won't be sending you home. But I still have twenty one others to speak to."

"Alright. I look forward to speaking with you again." Autumn stood up, and curtsied.

"Me too." Ethan told her. She walked back to her seat.

Ethan called the next girl. "Miss Audra Jepson?" The girl who approached him surprised him. Other than Lissa and Taylor, she was the only other Seven. Where Lissa had been sweet and Taylor intriguing, he immediately didn't like Audra. She wasn't very pretty, and she was a Seven. Surely they could have gotten someone else from Lakedon. She sat down with intentional grace, spreading the hem of her silver metallic gown. Her picture on her form showed a brunette, but her hair was red now.

"He-ey!" She said cheesily. "I'm so-o glad to finally meet you!"

"Um, yeah. Likewise."

"Most people look down on my 'cause I'm a Seven, but you won't, will you? You'll look past all that, right? Yes, I work in a nightclub, and yes, I'm an entertainer, but so is that Lissa girl. I just know we can make it work together, baby."

"Oh…um…thank you?" Ethan felt his ears heat up and knew they were turning red. They always did that when he was embarrassed. "Unfortunately, we're out of time. It was nice to meet you."

"Baby, you exceeded my wildest dreams." Audra attempted to be seductive, but it didn't work. She strutted back to her chair, throwing him a smile over her shoulder. Ethan mentally shook himself. No way.

He checked Audra's name of the list, and drew a line through it. She, along with Saskia, Alana, and Erica definitely had to go. He looked at the next name on the list.

"Miss Ruby Larson?" He inquired. Another redhead stood up and came towards him. Like Lilly, she was small, and apparently only fifteen. Her new haircut framed her round face, making her face look wider. Her eyes glittered, and she wore a smug smile. She sat down, dressed in a magenta ball gown, dwarfing her tiny frame and jarring with her hair.

"Hi." She greeted him, obviously star-struck.

"Hello, Lady Ruby."

"Can you call me Jewel? Everyone does." She requested. Ethan highly doubted her statement, though.

"Um, I'll just call you by your given name, if that's alright. I already have to memorize thirty five names, and I don't want to make it thirty six." He told her. Her face fell slightly, and her fist tightened around a piece of paper in her hand.

Ethan cleared his throat. "Tell me about yourself, Lady Ruby."

Ruby unfolded the paper, and read aloud from it. "I am Ruby Alania Larson, but everyone calls me Jewel. I am a Five, from Likely. I play the cello. I am graceful but accident prone. I am kind, honest, observing, and intelligent." She finished reading, and smiled up at him. Ethan suppressed a smirk. No way.

"Thank you, Lady Ruby. You may go."

"Thank _you, _your Highness." She said, before leaving. Ethan crossed off her name too. Who was graceful _and _accident prone? And who the heck went by Jewel, even if their name was Ruby? He shook his head, more than ready to call the next girl.

"Miss Alexina Lee?"

A New Asian girl in a pale pink gown with a large bow around the waist got up, and walked towards Ethan. She sat down, folding her hands in her lap, and avoiding eye contact.

"Lady Alexina, it is nice to see you face to face." Ethan said automatically. She raised her dark eyes to his for a half a second, and then looked away, her eyes glassy.

"Thank you, your highness." She said, barely above a whisper.

"Tell me about yourself, Lady Alexina." Ethan prompted. She cleared her throat.

"I'm a writer, which makes me a Three. I live in Ottaro. And I'm in love with someone else." She looked at him, her eyes full of pain. "I'm sorry. I can't just forget about him. I know it's probably against the rules, but I just can't."

"Would you like to go home?" Ethan asked gently. Alexina nodded, looking miserable. Ethan patted her knee awkwardly. "Then you can. If you don't want to be here, I don't want to force you."

"Thank you." Alexina said, wiping at tears, which left make up streaks on her cheeks. She gave him a hopeful smile, and stood, dipping down in a curtsey. Ethan was glad someone else was making the choice for him. He crossed Alexina off the list, and moved on to the next girl.

"Miss Summer Leean?" He called. A petite girl with caramel colored curls and a braided headband approached him, dressed in a coral gown. He remembered this was the girl with epilepsy.

"Prince Ethan, I have a request to make." She said, barely after sitting down.

"Yes, Lady Summer?"

"I'm so sorry. I can't do this. This has already been the chance of a life time, but I just can't."

"Are you in love with someone else?"

"No, not that. I just…I have epilepsy. I don't want to be here. I want to be with my family." Summer attempted a smile.

"Are you sure?" Ethan asked. She was also a Five, so medical treatment must be expensive.

"Yes. I knew it as soon as I entered. I made myself realize it last night. I can't even explain it. I'm so sorry."

"Lady Summer, don't apologize." Ethan smiled at her, and took her hand. "You don't know how easy you made my job. I'll make sure you keep receiving your compensation to pay for medical treatment." He said. Summer beamed, and squeezed his hand.

"Thank you, Prince Ethan!" She cried. "You don't know how happy you've made me!" They stood, and she gave a quick one armed hug. She smiled brightly, and walked lightly to her seat. Ethan smiled, feeling relieved. He crossed her name off the list, and his excitement grew when he saw who was next.

"Miss Gracelyn Luna?" He announced. He heard an excited squeal, and Gracelyn stood up, resplendent in her lavender ball gown. Her face was flushed and she beamed. She began to walk forward. Just before she reached the chair, she stopped, her smile growing. Ethan took her hand and kissed it.

"Lady Gracelyn, it is a pleasure to meet you." He said. She giggled slightly, and then pitched forward into his arms in a faint. Ethan grunted, and caught her, laying her gently on the ground. All the girls gasped, and Sophia ran forward like a chicken with her head cut off. Ethan couldn't help but grin. He knew Gracelyn was fine. _I guess I just have that effect on women! _

…

Zanzibaby **inspired this moment with Gracie! A huge thanks to her for all her support! Make sure to check out her story, "Equestrian Selection"; **theYAfangirl17**'s story "Selecting a Wild Heart", and **majestictales**'s "Not a Fairytale". They are all SYOC Selection stories!**

**Also, don't forget to review! You can tell who or what you didn't like, who or what you like, whatever! I just like hearing from ya'll! Next chapter will be part two of the interviews, so no worries about your character! Actually worry, because I'll be eliminating some too. **

**Have an awesome rest of the weekend! **

**-Shades **

Summer Leeann, 5, musician (minor character)

Graclyn Luna,


	20. Testing-Interveiws Part Two

**If you think these are tedious to read, try writing them! Anyway, here is part two of the interviews. If you're wondering about the order, it's alphabetically by last name. These characters are a bit more familiar than the last bunch, so it should be slightly more interesting, although not to say the others aren't! I would love to go more in detail to what the girls wear, but it's Ethan's POV, and boys don't notice that stuff!**

**If you review, I'll love you forever. I already love these guys forever: **zanzibaby, mnbvcx-xx, TheGirlWithTheRainbowTattoo, Fairy not princess, theYAfangirl17, 4Love4Love4, delovlies, Alexina's creator/Guest, Demigod-Gallagher-Selected, EruditeAbnegationMockinjay

**Also, this chapter is obscenely long…sorry!**

…

After Gracie had fainted, two guards had carried her out, presumably to her room. Sophia assured everyone it was just because of the excitement, and that she was fine. The interviews would continue as scheduled. Ethan tried to hide his disappointment, since he had been really looking forward to meeting Gracie. Nevertheless, the show must go on…or whatever.

"Miss Sirena Mastrano." He announced.

A redhead bombshell in a fitted golden gown strutted over to him. She wore tons of makeup, but it was tastefully applied. Her curled red locks spilled over her shoulders, and she was very, very beautiful. Ethan glanced at her form. He wasn't surprised she was a model. As she sat down across from him, she offered a friendly smile, but even under all the makeup, he noticed her eyes were red, and she looked slightly disheveled. He recalled on the Report last night that Taren said she was sick.

"Lady Sirena, I trust you are feeling better?" Ethan asked. Sirena smiled slightly.

"Yes, much better. Thank you." Sirena smiled gracefully, and crossed her ankles demurely.

"So you're a Two?" Ethan already knew the answer, but he was attempting to make conversation.

"Yes. I'm a model, but I also play volleyball for the Midston University."

"How old are you?" Again, he knew the answer.

"Nineteen. I'll be turning twenty in a few months, though."

"Are you enjoying yourself so far?" Ethan asked. For the first time, Sirena didn't have an answer. She sucked in a breath, and opened her mouth, but didn't say anything. Finally, she put on a pleasant smile.

"Yes. I love getting to meet everyone." She said sweetly. Ethan realized there was more to this girl than what met the eye.

"Well, I've enjoyed talking to you." He said, getting to his feet, and offering her his hand. She gathered her long legs under her, and stood too, refusing his hand.

"Me too." She said, smiling her radiant smile. "It was a pleasure." She curtsied, and walked away. Ethan watched her go. There was something mysterious about her, and he wanted to get to the bottom of it. She seemed like a strong young woman, the kind who didn't need a man, a polite beauty, but something went deeper than that. Somewhat regretfully, he called the next girl.

"Miss Elly Olsen."

He recognized the girl from the photo. Then, either her spray tan or hair dye had been messed up, with olive skin and blonde hair. They both had been balanced out now, and she was considerably prettier, although she was a little plain. She was tiny, lithe and willowy. She wore a sparkly light pink gown, and low heeled light pink flats. She walked with all the grace of a dancer. She sat down across from him, possessing all the grace of a ballerina.

"Hello." She said politely. "It is an honor to be here."

"It is an honor to have you here." Ethan said, in turn. "Tell me about yourself."

"I'm a professional ballerina, of the Company of Bonita. I'm not yet a principal, but I am a prevalent soloist. I understudied for Victoria in "The Red Shoes", and I most recently portrayed Wendy in "Peter Pan".

Elly went on to tell him about things he didn't really care about, like who she was in what production, and how her splits were and something about a straight scorpion. Ethan listened politely, but he wasn't too interested in Elly. She was consumed by ballet. She was sweet, but, well, boring.

"I'm afraid that's all the time we have, Lady Elly. You may take your seat." He said. Elly got up and curtsied. Her heels echoed on the marble flooring as Ethan pondered the list. He just hadn't connected with her.

"Miss Katherine Page?" He called. Unlike Elly, when he had first seen Katherine's picture, Ethan _had _felt a connection with her. She had set herself apart by wearing white, and she looked like an angel walking towards him. He tried to suppress his smile, so he wouldn't give away his intentions to the others. But he couldn't hide the slight smile. She was so…lovely. Her white gown floated around her, and her dark hair was caught up in a loose bun. She bit her lip, and curtsied, her cheeks tinging pink.

"It is an honor, your highness." She whispered, before sitting down. Ethan felt his dumb ears heat up again, and tried to make his hair cover them, but it was too short.

"Lady Katherine, I've been looking forward to meeting you." Ethan said. Katherine's cheeks flushed from light pink to dark pink. She looked how, fiddling with the tiny pearls on her gown. After a moment, she spoke.

"Really? Or have you said that to every other girl who has come by?" She bit her lip again, her face now red. Wow. That caught Ethan by surprise. He didn't expect that from this sweet, innocent looking girl. Still, her blush told him she wasn't thrilled with her choice of words, but still had to know the truth.

"Um, no. I mean, I've greeted them all nicely, but seriously, I've been looking forward to meeting you." Ethan felt his face copy Katherine's and heat up. He awkwardly cleared his throat. "You see, you caught my attention when I first saw you."

"Oh." Katherine said, slightly surprised. She laughed a little, a musical sound. Ethan couldn't wait to hear it again. "Sorry about that, then. I just don't like people who are shallow." She looked over at the chattering girls. A few had their eyes glued to the action. "Alana Harowski acted as sweet as pie to me and Elvira yesterday at dinner, but after you talked to Elvira so long, she started saying all these mean things, and she wouldn't stop."

"Really? She's mean?" Ethan was surprised. She had seemed…okay. Just a little…insane?

"Yeah, you couldn't tell though could you?"

"No, she was too busy trying to kiss me." Ethan said seriously. Katherine laughed loudly, before clapping her hand over her mouth at Sophia's glare.

"Sorry." She said. Ethan shrugged.

"She's going home anyway. I don't know where she got all her ideas about her and me." He felt himself relaxing more around Katherine. Her reference about pie, though, jarred him back to the task at hand. "So, what do you do? For a living, you know."

Kathrine giggled a little. "I'm a Four, and my parent's own a bakery. We don't usually do a lot of cake and stuff, more like specialty breads and muffins and things." She fingered a small songbird charm on her bracelet. "I could care less about baking, though. I love music. But, I'm not a Five, and ever since my sister-" She stopped suddenly. "Well, I'm expected to take on the family business, but now that I'm a Three, I don't know."

Ethan wondered about her sister, and why she had stopped so abruptly. He glanced at his watch, and realized he had spent much to long with Katherine. _Darn. _

"Well, Lady Kathrine, I fear our time is up. I have enjoyed talking to you. Maybe we could do it again some time." He said. Katherine did that cute giggle again.

"I'd like that." She said, standing up. She threw him a smile over her shoulder, and headed back to her seat. Ethan caught himself sighing. _Oh well. No rest for the weary. _He looked at the next name on his list.

"Miss Mackenzie Parker." He announced. He knew who she was. Everyone did, even if they lived in a cave. Well, maybe not, but still. The host of the Angeles News stood up. She smiled fakily at Katherine as Katherine passed her, and gave her celebrity friends-Rory and Cordelia- a smug smile, before propping one hand on her hip, and walking towards him. Unlike Sirena's walk, Mackenzie's was intentionally seductive. She tossed her silky strawberry blonde tresses over her shoulder, and gave Ethan a sexy smirk. She curtsied to him, making sure he got a good look at the slit in her dress. It was red, of course, and fitted to her thighs before flaring out, like a trumpet. It was strapless, and her breasts were barely covered enough. Mackenzie sat down, and sucked in a breath, making her 'neckline' inch further down. Ethan could help but notice her leg, in the shadows of the slit up the side. He was only human. He felt his blood go hot. He wasn't immune to these things even if he was a prince.

"Lady Mackenzie." He said, feeling his heart rate pick up. "It's nice to meet you."

"Oh, I assure you, the pleasure is all mine. Is Lady Gracelyn alright?" She tried to look concerned, but the haughty gleam in her eyes told him otherwise.

"Um, I believe so." He told her, feeling oddly protective of her.

"Oh good. I was so worried about her."

Ethan was pretty sure she wasn't.

"So, Lady Mackenzie, you're a Two?"

"Yes, I'm the host of Angeles News. Surely you've heard of me?"

"Um, yes." Ethan said. Wow, way to blunder around a hot girl. His father had specifically told him not to eliminate any Twos yet, and he was already going to get hell for Elly. Also, Wesley and Andrew would kill him for eliminating Mackenzie.

"Good. You'd be surprised, but some people haven't. _Everyone _has heard of _you, _though." She leaned forward slightly in her chair, showing off her attributes even more. "I'm so glad I finally have gotten to meet you."

"Yes, me too." He said, attempting a smile. Her nearness was intoxicating. "But I'm afraid I have twelve more girls to talk to and you are all probably very hungry."

"Whoever thinks about food at a time like this is an idiot." She breathed. "But very well. I hope to see you again later." She smiled suggestively, and stood up, before strutting back to her chair, her hips swaying. Ethan cleared his throat, and wished he had something to drink. He decided not to dwell on it, and call the next girl over.

"Miss Hana Piper?" He inquired. A tall, willowy brunette dressed in a lavender ball gown stood up, and began walking confidently towards him. Right before she reached the chair across from him, though, she tripped over high heels, and stumbled to the ground, half catching herself on the chair. Immediately, Ethan heard the sound of laughter. He reached down to help Hana, briefly glancing over to catch Alana, Audra, and Saskia doubled over in laughter. Yep, that settled it. Hana looked up at him, blushing furiously. She blinked quickly, and he took her hand and helped her to her feet.

"I'm so sorry, your highness." She said, her voice now shaky and her earlier confidence gone.

"Don't apologize, you did nothing wrong." Ethan tried to comfort her, but he couldn't find the right words to say. Hana smoothed her hair back into place.

"I'm just so clumsy." She said miserably, blinking back tears.

"Don't worry about it, Lady Hana." Ethan said, patting her knee in an attempt to comfort her.

"Can you just call me Hana? All the lady stuff makes me feel weird."

"Only if you agree to call me just Ethan. I may be a prince, but sometimes it's nice just to feel normal, for once." Ethan found himself opening up more around girls who were upset.

"Okay…Ethan." Hana cracked a small smile. "What do you talk about over here? None of the girls near me would talk about it."

"Um, mostly just try to get a feel for you guys."

"Okay. Well, my name's Hana…wait you knew that…I'm 18, and I'm a Three. My mom owns a chain of cafés centered in Belcourt, but we're expanding. I work there."

"Why did you sign up?" Ethan asked, He hadn't asked any of them yet, and he wished he had.

"My best friend Diana wanted to. I never thought I would be chosen over her, but I was. The minute I was, though, she hated me…"

"So you don't want to be here?"

"No, I do, I mean, yes I do, but at first I didn't." Hana blushed again at her tripping over words. "Sorry."

"It's quite alright." Ethan said. "I've enjoyed talking to you, and I look forward to talking with you again."

"Oh, yeah. Me too." Hana blushed, and stood up, executing a careful curtsey, and walking carefully back to her seat. Ethan looked at the next girl on the list. The twins were next. He was terribly worried he would mix them up, or they would mix him up. He looked over to where they were sitting, right next to each other. One of them had dyed her hair lighter, so that was good. Still, the one with lighter hair wore light pink, and the one with darker hair wore pink and black. He still didn't know who was Nicole or Natalia, though. _I guess it's time to find out, then. _

"Miss Natalia Rosalyn." He announced. The girl with darker hair dressed in stood up, darting a quick glance at her sister, who gave her a reassuring smile. Natalia made her way through the maze of couches, chairs and tables dominating the room, and sat down across from him, rearranging her skirt.

"Good morning, your highness."

"Good morning, Lady Natalia. You are Natalia, right?"

"Yes, of course. But please, call me Nat. You wouldn't think we would dare to switch places, would you?" Nat's eyes took on a mischievous gleam as she pretended to be shocked. Ethan smiled a little.

"Not in front of a prince, no." Ethan found himself teasing her back, and was surprised at his boldness. "So, I'm a prince for a living. What about you?" He had meant to be funny, but it came out sounding stupid and snobbish.

"I'm a Four. I live in an apartment in the capital of Kent, but I work on a big farm on the outside."

"What do you do there?"

"The farm? Well, it mostly grows corn and wheat, but the owner also breeds Thoroughbreds, and I'm an exercise rider."

"So you ride?" Ethan perked up a little.

"No, I'm just an exercise rider." Nat said sarcastically, grinning. "Of course."

"Maybe we could go riding some time."

"That would be fun. I miss the horses I ride dearly. Do you race them?"

"What do you mean?"

"Do you ever race against someone else?" Nat pressed, her eyes sparkling.

"Well, yeah. My brothers."

"I probably shouldn't be telling you this, but I used to ride in races."

"But you're a Four." Ethan pointed out. _Wow, way to state the obvious. _

"I know." Nat giggled. "I'm done, though, so you don't have to arrest me or whatever." She smirked.

"What happened? Did you fall off?"

"Um, no. The guy who drove me there and got me it…it's a long story."

"Well, you'll have to tell me when we go riding. But now I must talk to your sister and see which one of you I like better." Ethan joked. Nat laughed, and stood up.

"It's no contest!" She said as she turned to leave. Ethan smiled as she left. She was nice. He didn't feel like he did around Katherine, but more like his sister Michelle. Maybe he and Nat could be friends. He made a check mark by her name, noticing he only had ten more to go.

"Miss Nicole Rosalyn." He summoned forth the lighter haired twin. She wore significantly more makeup than her sister, but it made them easier to tell apart. She sat down across from him, smiling nervously.

"It is truly an honor to be here, your highness." She said softly.

"An honor to have you here. Do you like being with your sister?"

"Oh, yes. It makes it so much fun. Plus, I already had a friend." Nicole looked up just long enough to make eye contact, before a blush crept over her cheeks.

"So, do you work on a farm too?"

"No, a clothing factory, with my mom." Nicole fidgeted with her ruffled skirt.

"So why did you enter?" He asked her. Nicole looked nervous, and she seemed trying to think of an appropriate answer.

"Um…well, I thought I would be a good opportunity…and Nat wanted me to go with her, and she convinced me too." Nicole finished quickly, and looked away.

"Is it just you and Nat at home, then?"

"No, we have an older brother and two younger sisters." Nicole told him. Ethan waited for her to say more, since she wasn't being very elaborate on her answers.

"So, what do you like to do?"

"Um… I don't really like to work. It's too noisy and chaotic. I like to…I like to dance when I can." She finished the words off quickly and in a whisper.

"Oh. That's cool." Ethan didn't really know what else to say. Pair two quiet people together, and you get a lot of awkward silences.

"Well, my time's probably up now." Nicole said after a moment. "I've enjoyed talking with you, though."

"Yes…it was nice." Ethan stood as she did. She gave a quick, graceful curtsey, and walked back to her seat, not turning to look back. She was nice, and he liked her enough to keep her around for a while. He sighed, seeing he still had several girls to speak with. There were so many of them!

"Miss Ava Rotham?" He inquired. A girl in light pink, with her hair obviously dyed cinnamon stood up. Like Audra, she wasn't very pretty, and she was only a Four.

"Prince Ethan, hi." She said, sitting down without bothering to curtsey. She checked a little piece of paper in her hand, and seemed to focus on the task at hand. "I'm Ava."

"Hi, Ava. Lovely to meet you. I'm Ethan."

"You're not just Ethan. You're _Prince _Ethan." Ava corrected in a nagging voice. She tossed her hair.

"Oh. Yes…sorry?" Ethan wasn't used to people like this. Ava gave him a confident smile.

"Should I tell you about myself?"

"Um…sure."

"My name is Ava, I am a Four. I work in a factory, but I aspire to become a professional athlete."

"How do you propose to do that?" Ethan asked her.

"Well, I'm a Three now. I figure if I make it into the Elite, I'll be good."

"Oh. Okay." Ethan felt somewhat bewildered by her words. "Um, it was good to meet you."

"Oh, yeah. You too." Ava gave him a confident smile, and left. Ethan wrinkled his brow. _Might as well move on. _

"Miss Erin Rusk?" He announced. A handsome girl with rich dark skin, looking very uncomfortable in a simple black dress stood up. She approached Ethan, stumbling over the hem of her gown. She executed a somewhat awkward curtsey, and sat down.

"Hey…um, your highness." She said, slightly awkwardly.

"Hello, Lady Erin."

"Actually, could you _not _call me that? I'm not a lady."

"It's sort of a title, but sure."

"Are you like this to everyone? Doesn't it get annoying to be called Prince all the time?" Erin tucked back a strand of hair into her pinned up hair.

"Um, not really."

"Well, I hate being called Lady Erin, so please make a note or something." She shook her head. "Sorry."

"Um, that's fine. I want to start off thanking you for your service in the Illean Military Academy."

"You're welcome. It's a lot different here."

"I can imagine."

"Back home, my best friend and I were tight. But now that we're competing, since I used to live in Carolina before being stationed in Labrador, she hates my guts or something." Erin fussed her hair again, blinking at the thick stripe of liquid black eye shadow on her eyelid. Ethan briefly remembered Erin getting a scolding by Amelia on the Report last night.

"Amelia?"

"Yup. I sure hate drama, though."

"Yes, well I'm afraid that's all the time we have left."

"Okay…um, thank you." Erin didn't really seem to know what to say. She got up, and went calmly back to her seat. Ethan counted down the list. Seven left.

"Miss Tatiana Sarvex?"

A light red head in a pink dress stood up, grinning broadly. She sunk into a quick curtsey, and then took her seat.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Prince Ethan."

"Yes, it's a pleasure to meet you, Lady Tatiana." Ethan said. "Tell me about yourself."

"Well, I'm a Three. I'm studying history, primarily, but I'm still in high school. I help tutor kids. I also have a huge family."

"Tell me a little about them."

"Well, we're all girls. There's my older sister Tia, she's married; then Lolita and Loreli, the twins. Lolita's engaged, but Lora's not. Then there's me, and then my little sister Selah."

"That sounds fun. Are you guys close?"

"Yeah. I'm pretty close to all of them."

"So, why did you sign up?"

"Um, well…" Tatiana's cheeks turned pink. "I wanted to see if you really were all that your cracked up to be."

"And?"

"Well, I expected stuck up, and you're pretty nice, but I hardly know you."

"Well, hopefully we can remedy that soon, Lady Tatiana. But not right now. I have six girls left, and I'm sure you all are probably starving."

"Now that you mention it, and I'm not so nervous anymore, I am!" Tatiana said, standing. She gave him a cute little wave and left. Ethan smiled after her. She was very friendly, and made him feel at ease.

"Miss Meagan Stewart?" He called. A petite blonde in a dark teal ball gown with her hair up in a French twist stood up, her deadpan face saying "who me?" She walked with a bounce in her step towards him, and bobbed her knees in a quick curtsey before sitting down, and crossing her knees.

"Lady Meagan, a pleasure to meet you." Ethan said.

Meagan smiled brightly. "Thank you, Prince Ethan. I'm overjoyed to be here." She spoke with slightly loud voice.

"Are you enjoying your stay here at the palace so far?"

"Yes! It's so much fun here! I'm only a Six, so I never have ever worn such beautiful things and eaten such wonderful food. I feel like…well, a princess!" She spoke her words with infectious happiness. "Does it ever get boring for you?"

Ethan was caught off guard by the question. "Um, well it's all I've ever known. I think it would be interesting to see how the rest of the world lives, though. I get sort of bored here, and I feel spoiled rotten."

"Well I think you could be a lot worse. You seem pretty polite to me…well, you are a prince." Megan pointed out.

"Oh, um…thank you?"

"It's true!" Even though she was complementing him, Ethan didn't feel like she was sucking up to him. She fiddled with her earring. "So am I supposed to tell you about myself now?"

"Yeah, go ahead."

"Okay, well I'm a Six, and I'm a seamstress. I used to be a Five, but my parents died in a car accident when I was twelve. I was adopted by my aunt and uncle, but they were Sixes. I don't mind though."

"So why did you sign up?"

"Oh, well, mostly for the money, I guess." Meagan looked down, twisting her hands in the fabric of her dress. "My family really needs it. But now that I'm here, I hope I get to stay a while." Meagan admitted, blushing.

"That's nothing to be ashamed off…well, I've enjoyed talking to you." Ethan told her. "But I'm sure you all are eager for breakfast."

"Maybe a little." Meagan said, smiling. Her stomach growled loudly. They laughed, and Meagan stood and curtsied. "Good luck with the others!" She told him, before returning excitedly to her seat. Ethan sighed, and mentally checked her name off the list. Five more.

"Miss Adele Warren." He announced, feeling a rumble of hunger of his own. _Better make these girls quick. _Adele stood up, dressed in a sky blue dress. It showed off her…attributes very nicely. Ethan felt his ears heat up. Why did girls always do this to him? Adele was skinny and a little short. She wore her short blonde streaked hair in curls, and bright red lipstick. She smiled flirtatiously at him after curtseying, and sat across from him.

"Good morning, your highness." She said sweetly.

"Good morning, Lady Adele."

"It definitely is." Her smiled grew. "So, um, what do I say?"

"Just tell me a little about yourself."

"Okay, well I'm a Five, and I act in live theatre. I'm usually just a featured dancer or one liner. I love movies, too." Her voice trailed off, and she bit her lip coquettishly. "What else?"

"Just out of curiosity, why did you sign up?"

"Well, you probably wouldn't think this…but I have these dreams. They're kind of dumb, but I've always wanted to be a princess. Plus, the money and everything. And just for fun."

"It's not dumb. Ask most any girl in here, and they'll say something like that, I'm sure."

Adele looked up, biting her lip again. "Really?"

"Yeah."

"So what else do you want to talk about?"

Ethan though about it. He was somewhat absorbed by her red lips, though. "Have you ever kissed someone?" He blurted out, before thinking. He immediately felt his ears go hot.

"Stage kiss, but those don't count, so now. Why, do all non virgin kissers get kicked out?" She attempted to joke, but Ethan was too embarrassed to laugh.

"No, sorry. That was a personal question. Um, it's been nice speaking to you. Thank you."

"Oh, sure. Anytime." Adele stood up, and curtsied again, before walking elegantly back to her seat.

Ethan waited for his embarrassment to go away before calling up the next girl. "Miss Felicity Weaver."

The girl sitting next to Adele stood, wearing a delicate ivory gown. Her auburn hair was braided in tiny braids that kept her hair out of her eyes. She smiled nervously, and scurried over, curtseying quickly and sitting down.

"Good morning." She said softly, her ever-present smile never fading.

"Good morning, Lady Felicity. I heard you know Adele last night on the Report."

"Oh, yes! We tour together in the same acting troupe. We're from different provinces, though."

"So you're a live theatre actress too, then?" He asked.

Felicity nodded eagerly. "Mm-hmm. I love it. I couldn't imagine doing anything else!"

"Is there any particular reason you signed up?"

"Well, Adele and I are hopeless romantics, and why not, you know? So what about you? What do you do? I mean, besides being the prince and stuff…" She trailed off, giggling nervously.

Ethan was surprised. None of the girls, barring Meagan, had asked him about himself. "Well…I like riding…and this Selection is way too much."

"Like horseback riding? I've never been."

"Yeah…horseback riding. I like hunting too, even though my mom won't let me kill anything real. My brothers and I just go to the shooting range in the woods."

Felicity laughed. "Well, I guess all moms are the same, whether you're a prince or a Five."

Ethan relaxed a little. Felicity was very nice, and she was fun to be around. Still, if he didn't finish the interviews soon, he was going to die of starvation. He said goodbye to Felicity, and called the next girl.

"Miss Cordelia Whitney." Cordelia was about average height, and had a rounded face, giving her a somewhat girlish appearance. She wore a dark red ball gown, and had her dark brown hair swept upward. She curtsied, and sat down, quiet.

"Hello, Lady Cordelia. You look very lovely."

"Hello." Cordelia said, smiling a little, her eyes sparkling. She obviously enjoyed the compliment.

"How do you like the palace?"

"It's not so different from my own home."

"Oh, right. You're a Two."

"Yes, surely, you've heard of me!" Cordelia's lower lip pouted.

"Um, yes. I've never seen your movies though. They're all sort of chick flicks…"

"True. I don't blame you. Isabella Hamilton ruined _Deep River, _and Jackie Marion gave _Under the Sea _such a bad rap."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault." Cordelia said. "So, what do we talk about?"

"Actually, I'll just ask you a few questions. How old are you?"

"Eighteen. Most people think I'm younger, but I never get older roles."

"I'm sorry to hear that. Listen, I've enjoyed talking to you, but I'm afraid we're out of time."

"That's alright. See you later." She stood up, and walked away, not saying anything else. Ethan didn't care much for her, but he cared even less for Elly, and his father would have a hissy fit if he eliminated two Twos. At least there were only two girls left.

"Miss Amelia Wilde?" He inquired. A pretty girl with tanned skin and dark brown hair dressed in a cream colored gown stood up. Ethan wondered if she really did hate Erin's guts. She looked pretty nice. She gave a polite smile and curtsey, spreading the delicate fabric of her skirt over her ankles.

"Lady Amelia, it's nice to meet you. I've, um, heard a lot about you."

Amelia blushed, tucking a curl behind her ear. "Prince Ethan, I apologize for my behavior yesterday towards Erin. I would try to explain, but I really have no excuse for my behavior, although the two of us have a complicated history." She refused to meet his gaze, and Ethan couldn't tell if she was lying or telling the truth.

"Since you don't strike me as the type who would intentionally hurt her…I wouldn't mind hearing you explain your side of the story." Ethan decided it was better than anything. "Just tell it honestly. I appreciate honesty." Her apology had indicated that she was somewhat truthful, anyway.

"There really isn't an excuse for me going off like that, but I'll try to explain anyway. You see, before Erin left our province to military school, we were best friends. Right before she left, I caught her on a date with my current boyfriend. As you might have guessed, both relationships were pretty much over after that. Then, I was provoked when I saw her again. She said some things, but seeing her again was so surprising that I can't remember for the life of me what it was. My anger overtook me, and I said some things I shouldn't have. I meant to apologize last night, and this morning, but I couldn't work up the courage." Amelia's face reddened, and she avoided his eye contact. Ethan pondered her words. She hadn't really put herself into a better light, and she seemed to speak the truth.

"When I get a chance, I will speak to Erin about the matter. Still, however, if you still wish to apologize, may I suggest you write her a note?"

Amelia giggled slightly. "You really do speak like a prince." She tittered. "But that's a good idea. Thank you."

Ethan felt the tips of his ears go red again. "I speak like a prince? What does that mean?"

"It means you speak very well educated." Amelia said seriously. "And it shows."

"Well, you, Lady Amelia, speak like a writer."

"That's because I am." Amelia teased. Ethan smirked.

"I meant it as a joke…I liked getting to hear your side of the story, though."

"I suppose this is my cue to leave, then." Amelia rose and curtsied. "I'll see you at breakfast, unless you decide to kick me out."

"I already have quite a list of those, and you're not on it. You may rest assured…or whatever."

"Thank you, your highness." Amelia curtsied again, and left.

By this time, the volume of the chatter of the other girls had increased significantly. It was time for the last girl.

"Miss Michaela Williams?" A beach blonde in a dark lavender ball gown stood up. Her gown was lively, betraying the mature appearance of her face. She seemed nervous, but not overly so.

"Prince Ethan." She acknowledged in a murmur, sinking into a curtsey. She took her seat. "I bet you're just as ready to go to breakfast as me, so if you make this quick, I don't mind."

Ethan liked this girl's easy manner already. "I'm sorry you had to be the last, Lady Michaela."

"Oh, I don't mind. It gave me some time to figure out my true identity." Michaela's word were sarcastic, but her tone didn't even have a hint of it. "I finally know who I really am." A little smirk gave away her sarcasm this time.

"Care to share, then?" Ethan tried to imitate her humor, but he wasn't the funniest.

"Well, I was sort of joking, but I'll tell you some things anyway. I own my grandmother's bakery, I'm a Four, and I live with my sister. I love to bake, obviously. We have a lot of cakes and pie and cookies and stuff. I also like to swim, since I live near the beach."

"So why did you sign up?"

"Mostly for the money and stuff. My sister June convinced me."

"Is she in charge of the bakery while you're gone?"

"Sort of. She's only twelve, so we reduced the hours and stuff. Our employee Kellie is helping her."

"Did you say it's your grandmother's bakery?"

"Yes, after my parent's died, we lived with her until she died, and I took over the business."

"So you're an orphan?"

"Yeah…I'd rather not talk about it." She looked away, and Ethan felt embarrassed. Of course she wouldn't.

"Yeah, yeah. Sorry, that's fine. Um, I'm sure you're starving too, so I'll go ahead and end this. I know you well enough to keep you around a little longer." He tried to joke, but realized it wasn't that funny. "Er, sorry."

"That's fine! It was nice to meet you!" She left, and Ethan suddenly felt very nervous. It was time to tell the girls who were being eliminated. Sophia scurried over to him.

"Is that all?"

"Yes, but tell the girls to stay for a few minutes. I'll handle the rest." He looked down at his list as Sophia shouted instructions. Even though the girls kept whispering, Ethan could hardly bear the heavy silence. There was no turning back, no calling the girls and asking them to come back. Still, there were some he already knew would never work. Finally, he arrived at his conclusion. Eleven of them were going. Now he just had to tell them.

…

**Ehh, mean place to stop, this chapter is huge! You'll see who it is next time! However, I am devoting myself to finishing my fictionpress story. I may get writers block, though and do a quick update on this. I'm sorry this chapter is so long, but I had it all planned out. After the next chapter, basically breakfast and meeting the royals, I will begin the dates. As much as I would like to do everyone, I really would hate that and die and everyone get bored, so here's how it works. If you have pretty much been consistently reviewing AND your character is labeled as a main character (see my profile), they get a in depth date. If, however, you have multiple characters, I chose the one who I thought would be best. ** **So, yeah. It would be wise to start reviewing for future things like this! Still, I'm not going to change my mind if you start reviewing. I'm sorry I can't do everyone, but that would be really boring. **

**Don't forget to review!**

**-Shades**


	21. Hey, Girl

**Not to brag or anything, but *looks smug* I have the longest (word wise) syoc story for the Selection trilogy, and the most reviews! And you know why? Because of people like the most awesome people ever: **zanzibaby, majestictales, 4Love4Love4, theYAfangirl17, Guest/Alexina, fairy not princess, mnbvcx-xx, TheGirlWithTheRainbowTattoo, delovlies, Demigod-Gallagher-Selected **who review pretty much constantly and spur me on. I love you guys! **

**So I tried to work on my fictionpress story…but this was so much more fun, so I'll try to work back and forth every 2000 words instead. **

**By the way, check out the face claims and other things on my profile!**

…

Eleven girls were gone. Just like that, they were down to twenty four. Nat looked around the dining room, her stomach rumbling. It had taken forever for Prince Ethan to talk to them all, and now they had to wait again! She was starving! The girls spoke to one another in loud, high pitched voices. Nat tried to remember who was gone, but the names Prince Ethan had announced to stay behind refused to come back to her. Behind the closed doors, a loud sobbing broke through. The girls went silent, looking at each other nervously. Nat glanced around, catching eyes with Rory next to her. The blonde smiled smugly, flipping her hair out of her eyes.

"Congratulations, ladies." She said silkily. "We just survived the first elimination."

"Who all went home?" Nat asked curiously. "I didn't really pay attention."

"I was just listening for my name. I didn't know what to think when he told us to leave." Amber said, across from Nat. "Those girls didn't either."

"I say it was quite a scandal, sending Elly Olsen home. She's a Two!" Rory chimed in.

"I guess that means you're only safe if he likes you." Sirena piped up on the other side. "Not even connections keep us safe."

"So, who went home besides Elly?" Nat asked, getting slightly annoyed. These girls sure loved to gossip. She looked down the table, noticing a few empty spots.

"Juniella Alonzo and Ava Rotham, they were both Fours." Amber told her.

"You forgot Alana Harowski. She's a Four, too." Sirena added. "One less redhead, thankfully." She tossed her own ginger locks playfully, grinning.

"Hey!" Amber joked, pointing to her own auburn hair.

"Summer Leean, Ruby Larson, and Lilly Gaston were eliminated. They're all Fives." Rory added. "And Saskia Buchanan and Erica Carter were Sixes.

"And Audra Jepson, that slutty Seven." Adele sniffed, sitting next to Amber, and across from Sirena.

"Who else?" Nat pressed. "That's ten, with Elly."

"Alexina Lee." Sirena arranged her napkin in her lap. "And she's a Three!"

"I hope he doesn't have the audacity to eliminate me!" Rory said disdainfully. "_Everyone _knows who I am." She lifted her chin into the air.

"Unfortunately." Nat thought she heard Sirena mumble, but since she was in between them, Rory didn't hear.

Before anyone else said anything, the doors the hallway opened, ushering in the royals. As Sophia had taught them, all the remaining girls stood up, and curtsied. Nat could barely contain her nerves.

There they were. Just like every Friday night on the Report, except they were like a few yards from her. She remembered Sophia's instructions, keeping her head lowered as they walked in.

First was King Jackson. He was handsome, in an older man sort of way, with his dark hair and dark eyes. He smiled, and nodded to acknowledge them, but he still seemed a little cold, just like on the Reports.

Behind him was Queen Francesca. Her red-brown locks were swept into an up-do, her tiara set perfectly on top. She seemed youthful, and she was beautiful.

"They need to bottle the stuff she uses to look so young." Sirena whispered to Nat, earning a death glare from Sophia. The Queen wore a gorgeous dark green ball gown, probably to make all the girls in their evening finery feel less out of place. She wore a proud smile, and kept grinning at her husband.

Prince Andrew and his wife, Princess Christine, walked hand in hand, smiling foundry at each other. Prince Andrew definitely favored his mother, with reddish brown hair, and hazel eyes. He was tall, and the little mustache and goatee he wore only enhanced him. Princess Christine, on the contrary, was delicate and petite in her light coral gown. Her blonde curls, blue eyes, and dimples made her look even more like a princess.

Princess Michelle waltzed in behind them, garbed in a dramatic gown, black skirt with a silver bodice. Like Prince Ethan, she favored King Jackson, with dark brown/black hair and eyes. She commanded the attention of all the girls, tossing her ringlets. Nat caught Rory staring jealously.

Behind them was Prince Ethan. He was attractive too, but Nat had already met him. Still, he looked flustered and guilty. He scanned them all with a tight lipped smile, running his hand through his short dark hair nervously. Next to him, Prince Wesley elbowed him in the ribs, smirking. Like his brothers, he was attractive, in a younger, mischievous sort of way. His hair, somehow, was a light brown, and it was tousled, although he had the same eyes as Queen Francesca and Prince Andrew. The royal family took their seats, except Ethan. He stood awkwardly in front of the table, his hands deep in the pockets of his charcoal suit.

"Thank you, ladies, for taking the time to meet with me. I know you must be hungry, so I'll make this brief. As you may have well figured out, I have eliminated eleven girls I just didn't feel I connected with-Alexina Lee, Juniella Alonzo, Lilly Gaston, Summer Leean, Ruby Larson, Alana Harowski, Elly Olsen," He spoke Elly's name softer and faster. The King and Queen exchanged a look of surprise. Ethan swallowed, and continued. "Erica Carter, Saskia Buchannan, Audra Jepson, and Ava Rotham. Gracelyn Luna, who fainted earlier, is fine, and resting in her room, so she will not be joining us for breakfast. Thank you." He nodded awkwardly, and took a seat. Wesley whispered something in his ear, and Ethan scowled.

Right on cue, several waiters entered, pushing carts piled high with steaming plates. They worked efficiently, setting a plate in front of each girl, and filling their glasses with orange juice. Nat dug into the oversized waffle with strawberries and whipped cream with gusto. She was starving! After several bites of the heavenly waffle, she felt Amber kick her across the table. She looked up. Amber nodded her head slightly to the left. Nat swallowed her bite, and looked towards Rory. The skinny blonde painstakingly cut her waffle into bite sizes, but she didn't eat a single bite.

"Aren't you going to eat that?" Nat said bluntly. Rory looked up, a look of something like fear skittering across her face.

"I wish they would have given us something lighter." She snapped. "Do you have any idea how many calories are in one bite of this?" She rolled her eyes, spearing a small segment with her fork, and eyeing it with disdain. "I don't think I can stomach it."

"Aren't you going to be hungry later?" Nat asked, looking at Amber for help.

"What are you, my mother?" Rory retorted. She forked a small strawberry and ate it. "Happy?" She effectively ended the conversation, turning to converse with Hana. Nat looked at Amber, who shrugged, and then at Sirena. She found the red head looking sort of miserable, choking down the last few bites on her plate. Sirena looked at her, and then quickly looked away. Nat looked at Amber again, who shook her head, and went back to eating.

Confused, Nat took a sip of orange juice, and concentrated on the whipped cream. She finished eating quickly, since the conversation was pretty much dead now at her part of the table. When the clinking of forks and knifes pretty much ended, Queen Francesca stood to address them.

"Ladies, I look forward to meeting more of you. I'm so glad you are all here. Sophia will give you more instructions, but Michelle, Christine, and I will be in the Woman's Room when you return there." The other royals stood up, and left, and immediately after the door shut, the girls broke into nervous chattering.

"Oh my gosh! We're meeting the Queen!" Amber squealed.

"Ladies, ladies, calm down and be quiet! You need to be on your best behavior!" Sophia yelled at them. "Now, listen carefully. Return to your rooms and change into an appropriate day dress. Your maids will help. Then wait for me to take you to the Woman's Room. You'll meet them there."

After that, anyone who wasn't finished eating decided they were, and the now smaller entourage paraded through the halls to the second floor. Nat scurried to her room, startling her maids.

"Quick! I have to change! I'm meeting the Queen!" She cried. Her maids went into a frenzy, but they quickly outfitted her in a short baby blue strapless lace dress, and silver heels. They pulled her hair back more, and touched up her makeup, before sending her back into the hall. In no time at all, Nat was back with the other girls, heading to the Woman's Room.

…

Nicole nervously smoothed her light pink tea-length dress. It was the same color of the gown she had worn earlier, but she had done that on purpose. The doors to the Woman's Room were open. Sophia stood aside, gesturing for the girls to enter.

Everyone froze, no one wanting to go first. Finally, Mackenzie sighed, rolling her eyes, and walked in, her hot pink dress flouncing. The other girls followed her. Nicole looked sideways at Nat, and the two entered together. Some of the girls made a beeline for Queen Francesca, Princess Michelle, and Princess Christine, who were whispering quietly to one another. Others avoided them like they were the plague. Nat dragged Nicole to a loveseat nearby, but not too close, as that would mean joining the desperate ones, who acted it up terribly well. Mackenzie laughed happily.

"Oh, Princess Christine, I know what you mean!" She said loudly. Nicole rolled her eyes, and looked for Autumn and Gracie. Gracie still had not returned though, but she found Autumn, and waved her over. Cora came over too, sitting next to Nat. The foursome chatted, but kept stealing glances toward the royals.

Mackenzie, Cordelia, Rory, Amber and Adele sat around them, talking. Amber and Adele weren't sucking up quite as much as the first three, though. Bryn and Tatiana stood close, but weren't saying anything. Finally, Queen Francesca stood.

"Excuse me, ladies. It was lovely talking to you." She said, straining her gown. She hadn't changed, although the princesses had." The three split up, and went to separate cliques to speak to them. Princess Christine spoke to Bryn and Tatiana for a moment, and then headed for Nicole, Autumn, Cora, and Nat. She smiled cheerfully, smoothing her cream colored dress.

"Hello, girls." She said sweetly. Nicole swallowed. This wasn't just Prince Ethan, who she didn't even really want to marry. This was a princess, _and _a former ballerina. "Remind me of your names, again?" She asked, scooting up a chair and sitting down.

"I'm Nat." Her twin said bluntly. "Well, I guess Lady Natalia, but you don't have to bother with that." She added.

Princess Christine smiled, and giggled slightly. "I know, it takes some getting used to."

Autumn cleared her throat. "I'm Autumn Hunter, your highness." She said softly.

"Oh, please don't bother with all that. Let's just address each other like friends." Christine practically begged.

"I'm Cora Abel." Cora piped up. She smiled nervously, and bit her lip, blushing slightly. Nicole realized she had to speak now.

"I'm Nicole. It's an honor to meet you."

"And you guys as well. Are you excited?" Christine's blue eyes sparkled happily. "I remember being so nervous when I was in your place." She said. Cora nodded vigorously.

"I felt like throwing up talking to Prince Ethan." She admitted.

"Yeah, he did seem very princely." Nat confessed. Nicole couldn't figure out what to say, so she kept quiet.

"Yes, well Ethan is…he's very quiet. I'm sure he's just as nervous around you as you are around him." Christine told them.

"Really? He seems pretty confident and stuff." Autumn said.

"I know. He isn't very good at letting anyone in. He's shy around strangers, but when he's with his brothers, he just gets angry and sullen. Andrew, my husband, is the total opposite, and I never had a boyfriend before I was Selected, so I don't know much about men."

"What did you do before?" Nicole asked, although she knew everyone in Illea knew the answer.

Christine laughed fondly. "I was a Two, a ballerina. I was in the Company of Sumner. I would have gone on to be a principal if it wasn't for the Selection." She sighed wistfully. "But I gave all of that up."

"Are you sad?" Autumn said softly. Christine shook her head.

"No. No one I would have married would have measured up to Andrew. He's…just perfect for me. There's something about a Selection. There's always been the right girl for the Prince. Every time. So don't worry, because it always works out. One of you is meant for him."

…

Lissa couldn't push away the feeling of crushing disappointment. Usually, _nothing _got her down, but she couldn't shake this feeling. Her entire life, she had always dreamed of this, being here, and meeting the prince. Well, she had met him, and she had made it through the first round, even as a Seven.

But she wasn't in love.

_Maybe it's one of those times where it's going to catch me by surprise. Maybe I need to know him longer. _Lissa thought. But deep down, she knew it wasn't true. She would never love Prince Ethan. Which meant she would never want to become the One.

She sighed heavily, and watched her high heels glide across the marble floor. She had excused herself to use the restroom, and wouldn't you know, even in a palace, she had to go back upstairs. Just like at home. Except the bathroom was huge and in her room and it had a chandelier. _I guess it's their home. _She mused, watching the hem of her yellow tea-length gown poof out with each step. Lissa became so engrossed in the simple thing, that she didn't notice she was heading straight toward someone else. She collided with something warm and firm.

"Oof!" She grunted as she slammed into him. She looked up, and her heart nearly stopped. Prince Wesley stood before her, an amused smirk on his face.

"Is running into someone the new way to introduce yourself?" He said seriously.

Lissa immediately sunk to the deepest curtsey she could manage, but she was so startled, she lost her balance and fell.

"Your highness, my deepest apologies." She practically gasped, her face hot.

"Not a problem. Not all people have seen floors like these." Prince Wesley offered her his hand. Lissa tentatively took it, and allowed him to pull her to her feet. She kept her eyes on the floor. "Are you alright?" He asked.

"Yes, I'm fine. I am so very sorry." Lissa mumbled.

"Hey, it's not entirely your fault. I saw you coming, and didn't say anything. What's your name again? There's so many of you."

"Melissa Dove, but I usually just go by Lissa." She said softly, still not looking up.

"Ohhh." Wesley said knowingly. "_That _Lissa. The Seven." His ever-present smirk grew, and he lifted one eyebrow suggestively. Lissa nodded miserably.

"Yep, I guess I'm kind of stuck with that label. The trashy whore Seven."

"Hey, I didn't say that!"Prince Wesley stepped back.

"Well, it's true!" Lissa shot back. "I'm just that burlesque dancer! That's how everyone knows me!" She blinked back tears of realization.

"Dude, I knew it because I think it's hot." Prince Wesley's voice softened.

Lissa looked his straight in the eye. "Wait, did you just call me 'dude'?"

"Is that a problem?"

"Uh, yeah! First, I'm a girl, so I'm not a 'dude' and second, you're a prince!"

"So princes can't say dude?" His brow wrinkled. "Why?"

"Because you're a prince!" Lissa sputtered.

"Say, how old are you anyway?" Prince Wesley asked. Lissa stood up straight, drawing herself to her full five feet and ten inches.

"I'm fifteen, but my birthday is in three weeks." She said, matter-of-factly.

"Woah, no kidding! What day?"

"The twenty third."

"Dude, seriously? My birthday is the day before!"

"You just called me 'dude'. _Again._" Lissa pointed her finger at him.

"Oh, right. Sorry." Prince Wesley looked embarrassed. "Look, I've got to get going. And they're probably expecting you back anyway. I'll see you around, okay?"

"I'm sorry for bumping into you." Lissa said meekly.

"Hey, no problem. I got to meet a pretty girl, who happens to have been born the day after me." Prince Wesley smirked again. Lissa felt her blush come back.

"See you around….dude." He added, his eyes twinkling. Lissa grinned.

"Bye." She called after him. She stood dumbly there for a whole minute before she realized she should get back.

…

**Ooooh, plot twist! Next chapter will be a first date! **

**Don't forget to be awesome, and review!**

**-Shades**


	22. So This Is Love

**What? I'm updating again? Well, I tried to work on my fictionpress story, and I did, I really did (**delovlies) **but I'm still doing the 2000 word switcheroo. **

**But still, these folks are awesome beyond words, and I use words to record their awesomeness:**

**Anyways, this is Ethan's first date! **Zanzibaby **gave me the idea, although I tweaked it slightly!**

…

A cupcake. There was a cupcake on his desk.

Ethan stepped into his room, his eyes centering on his desk, in between the deep oak bookshelves. He walked closer, eyeing the cute dessert like it was a bomb. A small note lay folded next to it. Ethan glanced around the room, but no servants occupied the room. He looked down at the cupcake. It appeared to be chocolate, topped with blue frosting and a little thing that looked like a crown. He picked up the note, and unfolded it.

_Dear Prince Ethan, _

_ I am very embarrassed about what happened right before our interview, and I deeply apologize. My maids helped me sneak into the kitchen, and I made this for you. Well actually, I made twelve, but I gave the rest to my maids. If you want more, though, I can make more! Don't worry, it's not poison or anything. _

_ ~Gracie Luna~_

It took Ethan a moment to realize that Gracie must be Gracelyn, the girl who fainted. He smiled. Now he had an excuse to properly meet her. Since she had just fainted, he figured she would still be in her room. He peeled the liner from the cupcake, and took a giant bite. It was simple flavors, but it was delicious. He finished it off, and wiped his mouth, and checked Sophia's 'brief', to find out Gracie's room number, before leaving the solitary room, where no one bothered him. Ethan walked down the glittering hallway, and turned the corner to the stairs, nearly bumping into Wesley.

"Watch it." He mumbled, shoving his brother lightly. He wasn't in the mood for idiotic shenanigans. Wesley blinked, and instead of coming up with a witty remark, he looked disoriented.

"Oh, sorry." He continued on his way. Ethan furrowed his brow. _What's up with him?_ He didn't ponder it very long, and went to the second hall. It, too, was empty. His steps echoed down the corridor. He spied Gracie's room, and took a deep breath, and knocked.

…

Gracie looked up as the maids suddenly went silent. People had been knocking on her door all day, to make sure she was okay, but this time she knew was different. She briefly saw the maids curtsying before her eyes landed on Prince Ethan. He stood there, tall, dark, and handsome, his hands jammed in his pockets, his ears red. Gracie's heart jumped in her throat, and she quickly stood up and curtsied.

"Your Highness!" She said, flustered. "I didn't expect to see you." She lowered her head.

"I came to thank you for your cupcake…it was very good."

"Oh, your welcome!" Gracie perked up. "I felt so bad about fainting, I had to do something!"

"Please don't worry about it." Ethan pleaded at her with his eyes. "Um, since I haven't gotten to meet you really, yet, would, um, would you like to go riding with me?"

"Like horses? Are you kidding, I would love too!" Gracie jumped up, and then looked down at her lavender ball gown and heels. "Oh. I should probably change first."

"Um…okay." His face turned red, like his ears. "Meet me there in like ten minutes?"

"Okay!" Gracie bounced up and down on her toes. As soon as Ethan closed the door behind him, she let out a scream. "Oh my goodness! I'm going on a date with the freaking prince of Illea!" She cried. Her maids chuckled.

"Yeah, in ten minutes." Lillian reminded her gently. "And you can't go riding like that." She pointed to Gracie's gown.

"Right. What _do _I wear? Riding breeches?"

"You'll wear what the princesses and the queen wear." Summer said. "And they don't wear pants."

Lizzie darted into the closet. "We already sewed one for you, since you mentioned you liked riding on your form." She called out in a muffled voice. Lizzie emerged, her small frame half covered with yard after yard of fabric.

"It's a riding gown." Lillian explained. "It's so long so your legs are covered. For modesty."

With the much needed help of her maids, Gracie put on the long dress. It was dark blue, silky fabric, with a long train, and hem. A black jacket went over the sleeves, and thank heavens they gave her boots and leggings to wear underneath instead of hose and high heels!

"Hurry, we only have like, two minutes!" She squealed as they hurried to tidy up her makeup, and pin her curls off her neck.

"Okay, miss, you look fabulous!" Lizzie cried, jumping up and down. "Are you ready?"

"Oh, gosh, I don't think I can do this! I've never even been on a date before, let alone a date with a prince!" She gripped handfuls of her gown until her knuckles turned white. "Still, I finally get to ride again!"

"If he doesn't get tired of waiting!" Lillian gently shoved her to the door. "Go!"

Gracie giggled, and headed to the door.

"Make sure to remember every detail so you can tell us!" Lizzie called after her.

"I will!" Gracie slipped into the hallway, trembling. _Nerves or excitement….hmmm. _A guard was waiting to take her to the stables, and led her out through the gardens, and down a long path to a warm wooden building, surrounded by fields and fences and grass and horse after horse. Gracie inhaled deeply, the earthy smell of horse and hay greeting her. _I didn't realize how much I missed it... _She realized as she walked down the wide barn aisle. Each stall was beautiful. _I want to be a horse!_ She thought, taking in the boxy stalls, the brass nametags, and the golden hay. Most of the animals were grazing outside, but if they were inside, they were gorgeous. Every different color and type, gazing at her with warm liquid eyes. Gracie didn't see Prince Ethan, though. _Where is he? He said to meet him at the stable but this thing is bigger than my whole house back home! _She glanced around. The few grooms had stepped aside when she walked by, but she was too shy to ask them if they had seen her date. She looked around.

And saw him.

Prince Ethan vanished from her mind, as did the Selection. Even her own horse, Zanzibar. It was just him and her in the stables. And it was love at first sight.

She quickly hurried toward the gorgeous dark gray gelding, and brushed her fingers down his nose, as if he might break. He nickered softly, and wuffed into her perfectly styled hair.

"Hello, love." She whispered, straitening his dark mane hesitantly. If this horse was a human, she would have been smitten. He was long-legged, but still light. His coat was dark gray, faintly dappled on his flanks with a lighter gray. His face was also the lighter gray, and his dark eyes were trusting. Gracie stroked his neck, his fur silky under her hands. "You're the most beautiful horse I've ever seen." She murmured to the beast.

"I've see you've met Tiger." A voice behind and her said. Gracie jumped slightly and whirled around.

"You scared me!" She said, pressing her hand to her chest. She swallowed hard, taking in Ethan's gorgeous grayish eyes. Now she couldn't decide who she liked more, the horse or the prince. "But, yes. I did. Is he yours?"

"Yeah. Well, I have a few, but yes, he's technically mine."

"A few?" Gracie giggled. "I've never seen so many horses at once!"

"Yeah….the guards all need a mount though…." His ears turned red, and he ran his hand through his hair and glanced sideways. Gracie stifled a giggle. He was so shy, it was adorable. Then again, she was shy too, but it was cuter for him.

"So, do you want to go riding, then?" Gracie looked up at him shyly, twirling a piece of hair around her fingers.

"Yeah, yeah. Sorry. My mind was…elsewhere." The redness in his ears spread to his neck. He quickly called a groom, and told him to saddle his own horse and another one.

"I'll put you on Tiger." Ethan told her. "He'll behave. He's the only horse I trust for a first time rider."

Gracie stifled another giggle. She was no first time rider! Oh well, she'd surprise him! The groom led Tiger and a big bay gelding out to the mounting block, Gracie and Ethan following in silence. It took some maneuvering to get on the horse in the long dress, but Gracie managed, hoping Ethan would think it was her inexperience. Once they had both mounted, Gracie picked up the reins.

"So, I have an idea." She said, coaxing Tiger to follow Ethan's bay at a boring walk.

Ethan swiveled around in the saddle, and a smile twitched at his lips. "An idea, you say?"

"Yeah."

"So let's hear it."

"We race!" With that, Gracie shortened the reins of her horse and kicked him into a gallop. She threw one arm into the air, and let out a whoop of delight. She turned around just long enough to see Ethan laugh and rally a charge to catch her, but it was a little too late. Gracie grinned, feeling the even rhythm of Tiger's stride. The wind snagged at the pins in her hair, and all her maid's hard work went to waste. But she didn't care. She slowed Tiger to a stop, allowing Ethan to catch up.

"I didn't realize how much I've missed that!" She said jovially.

"I didn't know you could ride!" Ethan grinned, and he seemed much more at ease.

"Well I can!" Gracie giggled, and lifted her chin into the air in an attempt to look haughty. "I wrote it on my form."

"Well, there are a lot of you…" Ethan ducked his head and looked down, his ears reddening.

"Not as many anymore." Gracie reminded him, pulling her horse abreast of his.

"Yeah…guess you're right." Ethan's blush spread.

"So who all went home? I wasn't there and I missed out on all that juicy gossip." She giggled.

"Just the girls I didn't like. Or connect with. Elly, Ruby, Summer, Erica, Lilly, Alexina…um, Alana….and Saskia and Audra…and Ava. And Juniella."

"Wow, Elly. She's a Two, right?"

"Yeah. My dad will give me hell about that."

"So, is it like…hard to be a prince?" Gracie asked. Ethan was silent, and the only sound was the plod of the horse's hooves.

"I guess it's not the hardest thing ever. I mean, I could be an Eight or something."

"Just because you're a One doesn't mean life is easy. I've only been here a day and it's a lot harder than I thought." Gracie admitted.

"Yeah….I'm the middle kid, so there's a lot more pressure on Andrew, though."

"And?"

"What?" Ethan looked sideways at her.

"I know you're going to say more." Gracie gave him a pointed look.

"How?"

"I don't know. I just can tell. You don't like being a prince."

"It could be a lot worse, though." He said quickly. Gracie gave him another look. "But yeah….it's not easy." He stared off into the sky, and Gracie purposely didn't say anything else. She would get him to talk, so she could know him better. "I mean, it's easy for my brothers. Andrew can lie his way out of anything, and Wesley's so idiotic people think it's cute. But then there's me. The one who never amounted to anything." Ethan rolled his eyes, and tightened his grip on the reins.

"I'm sure that's not true." Gracie told him reassuringly. "You've gotten through the first day of the Selection. And you've asked a girl out!" She teased. "But _you _did lose a race. To a girl." Gracie giggled.

"You cheated." Ethan accused, but his grin told her he wasn't _that _mad.

"Oh really? Would you like to go again?" Gracie asked sweetly. "Because it would be no contest."

Ethan's grin grew wider. "To the end of the path?" He pointed to where the path in flat, grassy field was enveloped by woods.

"You're on!" They kicked their mounts into a gallop, the animals surging down the riding path.

"Thanks for putting me on your horse!" Gracie cried over her shoulder. Her hair whipped into a frenzy, the careful updo a mess .She began pulling ahead stride by stride.

"That's where you are wrong!" Ethan shouted back. "He's a sprinter. This is a distance horse." The continued at a gallop. In the end, Ethan's horse pulled ahead.

"I guess you won, fair and square." Gracie laughed. "It's one to one." They turned their horses back towards the stable by unspoken consent. "But you know, this riding gown thing _is _pretty heavy."

"Really now?" Ethan teased. "We could settle this once and for all and race back?"

"We could…" Gracie put on her best pensive look. "Good idea!" She pulled her horse into a gallop before Ethan could say anything.

"Hey!" He cried behind her, rallying another charge to catch her. Gracie laughed, but kept going. Ethan's horse drew next to her, and as they approached the stable, the slowed to a walk. "I guess we're even."

"It was pretty much a tie." Gracie agreed. "I had fun today. Thank you."

"Yeah…me too." They pulled to a stop in front of the stable. Ethan climbed down quickly, and came around to help Gracie off. "Here." He held out his hand as Gracie swung one of her legs around. She grasped his hand, feeling a tingle. She felt her face go red, and saw Ethan's was too. She smiled cautiously, allowing him to grasp her around the waist and help her off.

"Thanks." She said quietly. The led their horses back inside, and handed them off to a groom.

"Well, Gracie, I hope we get to do this again soon. But I have a meeting. And twenty three other girls to date first."

"It's okay." Gracie suddenly felt too embarrassed to say anything else. Ethan reached for her hand, and brought to his lips, brushing a kiss over her wrist. His eyes met hers for a moment and his ears turned red, before he turned and walked away.

Gracie stood there like an idiot, watching him go. She slowly lowered her hand, caressing the place he had kissed.

_So this is love. _

…

**So, thoughts? You can tell me in a review you know! What do you think about Gracie and Ethan? Who would you like to see on a date next? **

**If someone could do me a huge favor and help me out, I will love you forever! I read the Selection Trilogy online, but it's gone. After America's date and the bet, what happens afterwards? If someone could tell me the next several events, that would be great! **

**Okay, fun time! Who is your dream cast if the Selection was a book or a movie? **


	23. This Feels Alot Like Love

**Well, I only had five reviewers last time, but I also forgot to commemorate the reviews, so I'll do both. For last chapter, love and thanks to **zanzibaby, theYAfangirl17, 4Love4Love4, majestictales, mnbvcxz-xx. **For the chapter before, hugs to: **zanzibaby, 4Love4Love4, theYAfangirl17, Guest/Alexina, fairy not princess, mnbvcx-xx, delovlies, Demigod-Gallagher-Selected, EruditeAbnegationMockinjay, **and new reviewer **Mrs. AspenLedger! **To answer your question, Wesley is fifteen, almost sixteen. Shout out to **majestictales **for reading my almost finished fictionpress story "The Hunt"! Everyone check it out! I'm still trying to finish it, but I was so busy last week, I haven't had much time except the last two days, since I've been sick. I had a tournament for my debate team (I GOT 2****ND****!) on Thursday, and we don't get home until like after midnight, and then I had to make like a million cupcakes on Friday for a festival at my school all day Saturday. Which was super fun. Even if I have blisters from square dancing, lost my voice, and don't like kids as much as I used to. **

**Anyways, because **majestictales **is so awesome, this chapter is Katherine's date!**

…

Katherine looked around the Woman's Room, bored. The girls near her, consisting of Amber, Bryn, Meagan and Hana, whispered furiously in hushed tones. Katherine sighed. After the interviews, breakfast, and meeting the Queen and the Princesses, they had eaten lunch, and then had a lesson by Sophia about etiquette. Like yesterday, they had spent the remainder of the afternoon in the Woman's Room socializing. Already, it felt weird with the eleven eliminated. Katherine hadn't talked to any of them, but they represented the fact that the stakes had gotten higher. Adele had seen Gracie out riding with Ethan yesterday from her window, and now every girl in the room was shooting glares at Gracie from where she sat giggling with Nicole and Autumn.

Katherine fidgeted with her lacey pale pink dress, humming a measure of music she had jotted on the corner of the magazine page she was reading. Sitting around and gossiping wasn't exactly her idea of fun. Nor was reading the trashy celebrity gossip magazines, even if her picture was in several of the articles. Before tossing the magazine back onto the side table, Katherine tore off the corner, and slipped it into her shoe. She would finish that song later, when she could use the gorgeous piano in her room. Even though she was a Four, they had still gotten her hobbies right, and stocked her room with a piano. They hadn't included a sewing machine, though her maids promised to bring one of theirs later.

A maid slipped into the room, holding a silver tray with a folded piece of paper. She went to Sophia, and curtsied, offering her the note. All the girls went silent, watching the maid's every move. The eyes switched to Sophia. She read the note, and then looked up.

"Katherine, it seems you have a message." The woman said. Katherine gasped. She pointed clumsily to herself.

"M-me?"

"You're the only Katherine here, right?" Sophia asked her. Katherine quickly nodded, and rose, hurrying over to their advisor. She took the note, noticing all the other girl's eyes riveted on her. She glanced down at the soft paper, a faint woodsy smell coming from the paper.

_Lady Katherine, _

_I know you have already eaten lunch, but my meetings ran over time. I was wondering if you would like to accompany me for a small picnic of sorts before dinner? Please send your response with the maid, and I'll meet you at your room at four, if you do not decline, of course. _

_Ethan. _

Katherine found herself smiling, especially the way he scrawled his name at the bottom. No _Prince, _just Ethan.

Realizing everyone was staring at her, Katherine quickly re-folded the note.

"Please tell him I would be honored." She whispered. The maid nodded, and exited quickly. Katherine looked at Sophia. Usually, they weren't allowed to leave the Woman's Room except to use the restroom. The advisor nodded.

"Go ahead." A note of usual kindness spiced her voice. Katherine smiled, and followed the maid to the doors. Once in the hallway, she couldn't stop the grin from spreading across her face. She was going on a date! With the prince of Illea! She half walked-half skipped as quickly as she could to her room, as quickly as propriety demanded. She had, like fifteen minutes, to get ready! Her maids looked up in surprise when she entered.

"He asked me on a date!" She blurted out. Her maids jumped up, squealing.

"How long do we have?" Leah asked.

"Where are you going?" Rosalie cried.

"Like, ten minutes, and on a picnic." Katherine told them. "So no ball gowns."

"I like what you have on." Jane nodded. Katherine looked down at her delicate knee length lace dress. It was light pink, with elbow length sleeves. It _was_ pretty.

"Maybe different shoes." She kicked one white pump across the carpet. "Sandals or something." She peered at her image in the mirror, smoothing her careful updo. "And I want my hair down." She said.

Her maids set to work. Rosalie took down her pinned up hair, leaving behind soft curls from being twisted up all day. Rosalie took a curling iron, to give the curls more volume, while, Leah went to find different shoes. Jane put a little more powder on her forehead and nose, and freshened up her mascara. Leah returned, with a pair of cute white flats. Katherine slipped them on eagerly, her feet relaxing. She hadn't realized how uncomfortable heels were.

A knock at the door stopped them all. Katherine felt her heart flip-flop, and she swiped on some clear lip gloss as Rosalie misted her hair with hairspray, and Leah squirted some of her honeysuckle perfume on her. Katherine checked her image in the mirror, and took a deep breath. As calmly as she could, she opened the door, and curtsied.

"Your Highness." She whispered, trying to steady her voice. Prince Ethan's ears turned red. He wore a pair of khaki pants, a white dress shirt, and a navy jacket, but no tie. Katherine felt her legs go wobbly.

"Lady Katherine." Prince Ethan bowed slightly. "You look, um…lovely."

"Thank you."

"Are you ready?" He asked her. Katherine nodded. She surprised herself by slipping her hand into the crook of his arm. He stiffened, but the relaxed. Katherine waved goodbye to her maids, and stepped out into the hallway.

"So, Lady Katherine-"

"Please, just call me Katherine." She looked up at him. "Lady Katherine makes me feel like someone I'm not."

"Okay, well, Katherine. Will you call me Ethan, then?"

"Of course!"

"It's pretty hard when everyone sees you as a prince instead of just a guy." He confessed.

"I think I sort of know what you mean." Katherine said, curling her fingers on the sleeve of Ethan's jacket. She realized what she was doing, and quickly pulled her hand away. "I mean, back home, I was just another Four. The baker's daughter. It's not much different here. I'm just that girl from Calgary."

He was quiet for a moment, and they went down the sweeping staircase.

"So you feel trapped in the castes?" Ethan finally spoke. He seemed taken back.

"No, not that." Katherine said quickly. She smoothed back her hair. "I just wish people would take time to get to know others, you know?"

"Yeah….so, that's what we're doing, right?" Ethan looked down at her. Katherine was fairly tall, but he still towered over her. She tucked herself closer to him, and he jammed his free hand into his pocket. "What's that smell?"

"This one?" Katherine held up her other wrist as they approached the glass doors to the gardens. Ethan sniffed her wrist.

"Yeah."

"It's honeysuckle. My signature scent. They made all us girls pick one."

"What, a perfume?"

"Yeah! They didn't tell you?"

"No…I just thought Gracie naturally smelled like cake." He spoke seriously, but it struck Katherine as funny. She bit her lip to stifle a giggle, hiding her smile behind her hand. The guards opened the doors to the gardens, stoic expressions never leaving their faces. Katherine sighed happily, realizing she hadn't been outside except for between the limo and the palace two days ago. It was a glorious autumn day, still warm, but not hot, with a cloudless blue sky and a sun that was welcomed, now that it wasn't so hot anymore. Ethan and Katherine walked down the marble steps of the terrace, and onto a pebble lined path. Katherine was glad she was wearing flats, and not heels. The gardens were beautiful, not to mention perfectly groomed. A sprawling maze of boxwood hedges surrounded rose bushes and other flowers, hiding tiny fountains and benches and statues. A large, empty field was at the center, and riding trails were around the perimeter. Behind them was a field, presumably for horses. Further back, the woods were fenced back a black iron fence, and the stables and more horse paddocks were to the left. Towards the right, there was a glass enclosed building.

"What's that?" Katherine asked, pointing.

"The pool. Or pools, I guess. My mom wanted one built inside too, but even in the winter, it's not that cold here."

"Wow! Lucky!" Katherine exclaimed. They walked across a little manmade stream, on a cute little bridge. Katherine spied a small secluded area, next to a bush of light pink roses. A white bench was propped in front of a weathered stone wall, English ivy snaking up it. A maid stood nearby, setting out their picnic, presumably, on a wicker table, covered with a spotless white table cloth. She saw them coming, and finished her task quickly, and left.

They stopped in front of the little picnic. It wasn't so picnic-y anymore, but Katherine loved it.

"This is so nice!"

"Yeah, well thank the staff." Ethan looked embarrassed. He gestured to the bench, and Katherine sat, spreading her delicate tulle skirt over her knees. Ethan sat down next to her, his face reddening as he took in the dainty little cookies sitting on white china, and the lemonade in wine glasses.

"What's wrong?" Katherine asked.

"Um, I have no idea who made this, but I can assure you it wasn't me."

Katherine giggled at his embarrassment. "I didn't think you did, Ethan. You don't have to be embarrassed." He didn't say anything, but picked up one of the powdered sugar covered cookies, and took a bite. Katherine copied his motions.

"Wow, these are really good!" She looked around the perfect landscaping, catching sight of the walls surrounding the palace and grounds. "Do you ever get tired of living here?"

It took Ethan a moment to respond. "I guess so." He finally said, not elaborating.

"You guess so? What does that mean?"

"Well, I don't know what another life would be like." Ethan shrugged, and moved his arm. His sleeve brushed up against her elbow, and he practically jerked away, going scarlet. Katherine tried not to smile. She had been expecting the prince to be snobby, rude, and flirtatious, but Ethan was the exact opposite. His quiet, awkward mannerisms made something in Katherine go all wobbly. She attempted to lighten the conversation.

"So, Ethan, what's going on in Illea these days?" She asked playfully, reaching for a chocolate covered strawberry.

"Um, besides the Selection? I don't think you'd be very interested."

"Why not? You might be surprised."

"Are you at all interested in balancing the budget and taxes?" He smiled at her, casually slipping his arm along the back of the bench. Katherine felt her stomach tighten with nerves, but she couldn't stop a smile from spreading across her face. She leaned back a little, feeling the fabric of his coat against her shoulders, and shivered slightly.

"I must admit I could care less." She said with a laugh. "Anything, you know, interesting happening?"

"Define interesting." Ethan said with a smirk.

"Oh, you know, like headline worthy."

"My sister is engaged to be engaged to the prince of Italy." Ethan offered.

"_Everyone _knows that." She punched him lightly on the arm.

"C'mon, Kat. Give me a break." He teased.

Katherine froze. The nickname was supposed to be fun and sweet, but it hurt. Only one person had called her that, and it was Annalise, her sister. Her dead sister. She looked down, concentrating very hard on the cookie in her hand. "What's wrong?" Ethan pressed. Katherine shook her head, knowing it would just lead to tears if she tried to explain. She stood up quickly.

"Nothing."

"Are you sick?" He asked. She decided to nod.

"Yeah. I'm sorry." She whispered. Ethan stood, up, settling his arm lightly on her shoulder.

"It's okay. I'll take you back." He moved his hand to her elbow, and guided her back up the path towards the palace.

"I'm sorry, Ethan." She said.

"It's okay." He smiled down at her, and Katherine thought he would have winked if he hadn't of been so shy. "It gives us a reason to go out again."

"You make it sound so easy. Like we're at school or something." She told him. Ethan shrugged.

"I wish it was. Dating is hard in the first place, but all the Selection stuff makes it a nightmare."

….

**Would love to hear your opinions about Katherine, and who you would like to see on a date next time, or anything you would like to happen! I have some ideas, but I like to know what you think! I have a poll on my profile now, so make sure to vote!**

**As promised, here are the results for the dream cast! You don't have to read this, but I thought it would be fun! Only a few of you actually said anything, so if you didn't or you want to 'cast' different characters, I would love to hear from you! Okay, results: **majestictales **'cast' Bonnie Wright as America, and **4Love4Love4 **'cast'** **Bridget Regan with red hair. **mnbvcxz-xx** 'cast' Maxon at Dean Guyer, which I totally agree with, since he is a mega hottie (Google him!) **

**As for me, well since you didn't ask, I'll tell you anyway. First of all, there are a lot of Selection blogs that have opinions (check some out!) and most of them seem to prefer Holland Roden and Sarah Bolger for America, and Daniel Sharman and Max Irons for Maxon. **

**I think Alicia Banit would be a good fit for America, but she's blonde… personally Sarah Bolger screams Kriss to me, just from her pictures, and from memes on blogs I've seen. For Maxon, I would say Tim Pocock, since he is the hottest guy ever aside from Orlando Bloom, but if Alicia Banit was America, it wouldn't work from me, since they played siblings in Dance Academy. For Aspen, I always pictured him as Johnny Pacar (If any of you watched Flight 29 Down as kids, he played Jackson), and I always pictured Dena Kaplan as Celeste. That's just me, though! Tell me your opinions! **

**-Shades (who still hasn't regained her voice) **


	24. Something There

**Because I love ya'll, I'll announce ya'll to the world. **zanzibaby, theYAfangirl17, 4Love4Love4, majestictales, mnbvcxz-xx, fairy not princess, Alexina, delovlies, **and **The GirlWithTheRainbowTattoo. **They are awesome. BECAUSE THEY REVIEW!**

**It happened. I started this story at the start of August, and we're almost to November. I've been blessed not the have it. **

**But I had it. **

**What is it? Why, writer's block of course! I finished my fictionpress story, and then couldn't write this one. Plus I've been sooo busy. Anyway, though. Here's an installment!**

…

Ethan balled up his fists, stalking down the corridor of the third floor to his room. He threw open the doors to his suite, stalking through the unused sitting rooms and the office, and into his bedroom, the only room he actually spent time in. Muttering curses under his breath, he ripped off his tie, and yanked off the stupid jacket, and threw them over the armchair in the corner.

He didn't know why he was so worked up about this. Yeah, he'd known what would happen when he did it. Eliminating Elly, a Two, was bound to cause some problems. There was bound to be consequences. It was just the way he'd done it.

Still, all day yesterday, Dad hadn't said a work about it. And then today, after the budget meeting, he had coolly gone off about how stupid and what a disappointment Ethan was.

And, of course, Andrew and Wesley had been there the whole time, along with the advisors. Luckily, the Council of Legislatures hadn't been there.

Ethan gritted his teeth, taking out his anger by flinging his shoes into the corner. Why was it always him? Andrew was perfect, and Wesley had done so many things wrong, it was almost funny. But he never got in any trouble over it. It was always because he was just a kid, he didn't know any better.

Ethan thought back to his conversation with Gracie. Maybe being an Eight would be better than this. There was too much pressure, too many consequences, too many rules. His dad didn't even treat him like a son. He was just the future king, or whatever.

_I don't see why. Andrew will be the king, and then his kids. Not me. _

But Dad always said he thought that too. Like Ethan, he had been second in line for the throne. He was twenty four when the then king, his older brother Richard, had been killed in an outbreak of disease brought in by one of the servants. Mom always told Ethan how he'd gone from a charismatic, charming youthful prince to a cold, detached king. He'd ruled the country well, but he never treated his family like his family.

Michelle had told him several months ago that their parents slept in different rooms. Mom fawned over Wesley, and Dad was grooming Andrew to be his heir. The middle children, Michelle and Ethan, tended to be somewhat overlooked. But Michelle's dramatic, attention seeking ways and Ethan's introvert tenancies kept them from every being close.

Ethan sighed, sitting down on his bed. _Maybe I shouldn't have eliminated Elly….but I didn't even like her. I just would have been wasting her time-and mine. _He stood up angrily, his father's terribly quiet words from earlier echoing in his ears.

_Andrew sent home all the Sixes and Sevens in his first elimination. Why couldn't you do the same? _

_What were you thinking, sending that girl home? She was a Two!_

_Ethan, you must think about your choices. Elly had connections, and you just send her home on a whim. Think next time, boy! _

He grabbed his jacket, and put on boots instead of the stupid dress shoes. He had twenty girls left to date, after Gracie and Katherine, and he knew just the girl he wanted to take.

Elvira Entrinken. He had promised to take her shooting, and he certainly needed to blow off some steam.

…

She was floundering. Elvira had never been expected to go on the third date, and hadn't had time to prepare

. Nevertheless, it had been awesome to see the look on Mackenzie and Cordelia's faces when he had come to the door of the Woman's Room and asked to speak with her. Plus, she had gotten out of Sophia's lecture on tasteful makeup choices. She didn't care if her makeup made her look intimidating and dark. She wanted it that way. And this date would make her feel more like herself. Shooting at the shooting range back behind the stables would release all her pent up anger at her father for sending her here to get all fancied up.

She had never thought she would go shooting in a dress though. Still, if it had to be a dress, it would be her maid's newest creation. The short day dresses weren't as edgy looking as the designs for the evening gowns, but they still looked awesome. Her maid's had told her Sophia insisted she have long sleeves for her gowns, to hide the abomination of her muscles. It annoyed her to no end, but she couldn't really do much about it. Her dress was black, her signature color, with a v-neck and long, translucent sleeves, with a flippy short skirt park, the outer part black but the inside lining purple, that could only be seen from time to time. She wore heeled ankle boots, though, instead of stilettos, thankfully. She had tried to wear them to dinner on the first day and had about killed herself on the stairs.

Elvira watched curiously as Prince Ethan aimed the little carbine pistol at the target, both hands gripping it, with one eye half closed as he sighted down the barrel, just like he had done for the past several minutes. His jaw was clenched tightly, and all the smiles he had managed seemed even more forced than normal. She slipped her ear covers over her ears, just before Ethan followed the gun, hitting the target several inches away from the bull's eye. He flashed a quick boyish grin at her, and Elvira raised her own pistol, and fired. She hit the bull's-eye, square. She quickly hid her smirk, and lowered the gun, and reached up with one hand to take off her ear covers. Forgetting about her extensions, though, she moved too roughly, and it snagged on her dark brown curls. Elvira winced, and set the pistol down to untangle her hair. She reached up to her hair, and found Prince Ethan's hands already there, gently removing the hair from the ear covers.

She looked at him, and he quickly jerked his hands away, his ears and face flushing red.

"Sorry…" He muttered.

"For what?" Elvira challenged, grinning.

Ethan shrugged. "Never mind." He picked up his pistol again, firing several times, each hitting the bulls-eye perfectly. Elvira felt her eyes widen. She finished untangling her hair.

"You're pretty darn good with a gun." She told him.

"So are you."

"We're you messing up on purpose, then?" Elvira asked.

"Well…" Ethan turned red again, and Elvira laughed.

"It's okay. You don't have to answer." She playfully swatted his arm. "So you done shooting?"

Ethan shrugged again. "Uh, if you are."

I think my ears would die if we did."

She couldn't hide her smile. He was so shy and sweet, and well brought up. Not like all the egotistical bastards in the military who just wanted to get her in bed. They chatted her up, all the while analyzing every inch of her body, and then got mad when she refused them. Ethan wasn't like that. He was hesitant, and actually cared about her. _Maybe that just comes from being a prince…_Elvira supposed. She had never actually had a real boyfriend. _I don't think I've even been in 'love'. _She thought briefly back to her short-winded relationship with her friend Jules. After he had awkwardly admitted his feelings for her, she couldn't refuse him. They had gone on a single date, and it had been awkward and forced. When they had been just friends, it had been fine, and they could talk and joke for hours. Elvira had had to end things the next day, and their friendship had never been the same.

Maybe it would be different this time. Except for the fact Ethan had just broken up with eleven on his girlfriends, and he still had twenty three others. And she wasn't sure if she even loved him. Still, she didn't want to tell him that.

She watched as he slipped his hands into the pocket of his jacket, and shuffled his shoes along the paving of the shooting range. He seemed tense, and somewhat angry. A dull red color flushed his neck, and had remained there the whole time.

"So, are you going to tell what's wrong?" Elvira asked. She always could tell when someone was upset, and she wanted to know why. But she never ever asked them about it. She often closed herself off from people, because she didn't want them to see her vulnerable side. The side where she wasn't prepared for something, or when something was getting out of hand. When she was failing or could do better. So she was surprised when the question slipped out.

Ethan looked at her funny, his eyebrows furrowed. Elvira borrowed some of his blushing, and felt her face grow hot. She didn't want him to know how much she actually cared. Heck, she didn't want _herself_ to know how much she cared.

But this was a whole new side of him. The first time she'd met him, he'd been shy and charming and nervous and endearing. But today, he was angry and frustrated. And it wasn't just with someone else. It was with himself.

Ethan quickly looked away, but Elvira could see his hands curling into fists in his coat pocket. Sure, this hadn't been the ideal first date, but she wanted to know more about this boy. She was still waiting on an answer.

"Ethan?" She touched him lightly on his arm. He flinched—slightly, and the line of his jaw grew tighter.

"It's everything!" He cried, spinning towards her in a sudden explosion of anger. Elvira wasn't usually the girl to be scared, but she found herself taking a step back, stumbling slightly in her heels. Ethan ripped his hands from his pockets, gesturing hopelessly at her. "It's my whole life—my dad, my brothers, all these girls. You all want Prince Charming. My dad wants me to be Andrew, and my brothers…" He seemed to notice her all at once, and his words trailed off. He stuffed his hands back into his pockets, and he took a step back, ears reddening. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have gone off like that."

Elvira swallowed. She had never expected that from him. "Um…we should probably get back. It's almost time for dinner." She managed, hating not knowing what to say. She brushed her hair out of her eyes with her fingers, and turned to go. Ethan stopped her, placing his hand on her elbow.

"Elvira, wait." He said, his tone soft. She stopped without turning around, waiting for him to speak. "I'm sorry. You didn't do anything wrong. I shouldn't have lumped you in with the other girls. You're not like them. You're different. It's just…." He trailed off again.

"I get it. This Selection stuff is hard. Even for me." Elvira said.

"Yeah…it is." He was quiet for a moment. "You know, I thought it was supposed to be something where _I _was supposed to fall in love."

"Isn't it?"

"No way. My dad has to practically fall in love with the girl too." Ethan rolled his eyes. "He threw a fit about eliminating Elly. Just because she was a Two."

"So? It's your Selection. He's not getting married. What does it matter what he says."

"It's just…" Ethan stopped and looked at her. "It's how he did it. My brothers were in the room, and so was half of the Legislative body."

"So?" Elvira said again. "Who cares what they think?" She playfully poked him in the arm. "It's not their wife, so tell them to mind their own business!" She joked.

Ethan gave a half smile, but Elvira could tell he wasn't over his pride. She sighed. "Come on. Your mom will die if we're late to dinner."

Ethan shrugged, and Elvira held out her hand. He hesitated and took it, blushing again and going back to his shy ways. Hand-in-hand, they walked back to the palace.

There was a lot more to this boy than she had thought.

…

**Ehhh, not my best work. I'm sorry TheGirlWithTheRainbowTatoo, I don't think I did her justice. **

**Don't forget to leave a review! Let me know if you like Elvira and this chapter, and who you want to see next! Don't forget to vote in the poll on my profile!**

**By the way, the cover and the summary for the Heir came out. I have to admit, I'm not very excited. I swear there's at least one fanfiction about this already. Plus, no maxmerica! **

**-Shades**


	25. If I Can't Love Them

**So everyone had different opinions on who they wanted to see next. And I'm only human. Several people requested a "Wessa" moment, but you guys, put the brakes on! Come back to now! Don't jump to conclusions! Please! I don't mean to be a jerk about it, but it makes it really hard as a writer! **

**I'm giving in and writing two slightly shorter first dates for two awesome girls. I couldn't give them the main character status because when they were submitted, I had pretty much already chosen the main characters, but I still love them! Plus, their awesome creators are consistent reviewers! Also, I still want to stay on a 'timeline' so Nat will have a POV so we don't get confused in solid dates. **EruditeAbnegationMockinjay **and** 4Love4Love4-**you're the best!**

**You know who else is the best? **anzibaby, mnbvcx-xx, majestictales, TheGirlWithTheRainbowTattoo, theYAfangirl17, 4Love4Love4 (**again) and ** delovlies! **Love ya'll!**

**Song Credit: "One Hand, One Heart" West Side Story **

…

"You _what?_" Mackenzie shrieked—very loudly—in Cordelia's ear.

Wincing, Cordelia put a hand to her ear. "God, Mak. Do you _have _to be so loud? I'm going on a date. With Prince Ethan."

Mackenzie shrieked again, causing some of the girls at the table around them to look up.

"That is so not fair! Everyone in Illea knows who I am!" She sputtered.

"Everyone in Illea also knows who I am." Cordelia countered. Mackenzie sneered at her.

"Yeah, the eighteen year old who always plays the little kid. You know, if Prince Ethan really knew what you have to wear under that dress to make you look so skinny, I bet he would eliminate you here and now!"

Cordelia threw down her fork in disgust. "Yeah? Well, if he knew what you were like, he would eliminate _you _here and now!"

"Girls! Calm down!" Elvira, sitting on Mackenzie's other side, was all but restraining Mackenzie before she hit Cordelia. Cordelia and Mackenzie had been friends early on, elated to be seated next to each other at meals. "Mackenzie, it's not Cordelia's fault Prince Ethan asked her out. Go talk to him."

Why he would ever ask _you _out is beyond me." Mackenzie spat. Cordelia raised her eyebrows. This girl was no walk in the park. She had made Cordelia swear to silence, but had told her that after Gracie had pulled that fainting stunt and gotten the first date, Mackenzie had bribed her maids to steal the gown Gracie's maids were working on for the Report on Friday, two days from now. She had planned to sabotage Katherine's date, but the date had been during one of Sophia's lectures, and she hadn't been able to.

Tatiana jumped in to stop the argument now between Mackenzie and Elvira, but ended up getting dually insulted, and joined in, leaving Gracie and Lissa on either side of her to stop it. Cordelia ignored it, not wanting Queen Francesca to notice her getting involved. It was lunch, and usually the royals ate in their rooms. The King and the Princes were too busy working on diplomacy stuff, and the Queen and the Princesses sometimes came. All three were hear today. Cordelia knew she had to be favored by them. It was the key to getting into Prince Ethan's good graces. Besides Gracie, Katherine, and Elvira, Bryn and Hana had both gone on dates with him yesterday—Bryn had taken a walk in the extensive gardens, and Hana had a lunch date in the courtyard. Tatiana had mysteriously disappeared after breakfast, but unlike the other two, hadn't divulged any details about it.

But Cordelia's date would be spectacular. She was having dinner tonight with just Ethan. Princess Christine and Princess Michelle had confessed to Rory who had told Mackenzie who had told Cordelia that they were setting up all of Prince Ethan's dates, orchestrating the activity and food and stuff. In his note, he had just promised dinner, not disclosing any more details.

Mackenzie's comment about her weight still stung, though. She picked at her salad, not really hungry anymore. She had always been short, and always had to watch her weight. She wasn't fat, not really. The corsets and things she wore under her dresses helped a lot. She glared jealously at Mackenzie, the tall slim blonde.

_Don't think about that. She hasn't gotten a date yet. _

…

Ethan wiped his sweaty hands on his charcoal suit pants—again. This was so dumb. And yet, he was practically terrified. Michelle insisted that he ask Cordelia next, and she and Christine had orchestrated this whole dumb date, dinner in the observatory, a tiny usually dusty room, the highest point in the castle.

It was dark wood about halfway up on all four walls, and then glass panels up to the ceiling. There was barely enough room for a small round table and two chairs. The staircase to get to it was narrow and creaky, and although the views were great, Ethan still didn't understand all of the fuss about it. Christine assure him that Andrew had taken quite a few girls to dinner up here, and that Cordelia would love it, but he wasn't so sure.

He didn't even like Cordelia much. She had been cold and distant and snobby during her interview. She was a Two, however, and he had no intention of sending her home after the fiasco with Elly.

He looked around the room, not missing the dust particles in the air. Servants had cleaned it thoroughly, but this room was perpetually dirty. Outside, the sun was setting, painting the Illean sky pink and dusky purple. From up here, you could see everything. The gardens, the stables, the surrounding woods, even the servant's quarters. Illea looked so peaceful up here. It looked like a fantasy land, a fairy tale. Ethan leaned back in his chair, sighing heavily.

It was anything but peaceful. The masses were unrestful, as poverty was at an all-time high. There were attacks on Service Offices by rebels. No one had died, but there had been injuries. The whole ordeal with Yukon wasn't settled either. The rebellion had only begun last winter. It was heavily concentrated in the Northern provinces. They had seized control of Yukon, and it remained there. The governor was dead, although none of the public knew that. They couldn't communicate with those still loyal to the monarchy in Yukon either. The rebels had amassed even more supporters there. But they couldn't declare war. The rebels were still citizens of Illea.

The attacks on the Service Offices were mostly in the North, but were gradually making their way South. And they couldn't stop them.

A knock at the door interrupted Ethan's thoughts.

"Yes?" He said. A guard opened the door.

"Lady Cordelia is here, Prince Ethan." He said.

"Tell her to come up." Ethan said, scrambling to his feet, and pulling on his grey jacket. He had ordered the guard to make her wait at the bottom of the stairs, so she wouldn't catch him off guard. He stood by the door, hearing a delicate clip of heels climbing the staircase. He saw Cordelia nod to the guard, and she stepped into the room, a smile spreading across her face.

"This is lovely!" She said happily, brushing a dark curl out of her eyes. She wore a tactfully short, long sleeved, light blue dress, which hugged her curves. It was very sequin-y, and she looked great in it. Her short frame was elevated with matching heels that had to be at least five inches tall.

"You look beautiful, Lady Cordelia." He said, the response automatic after being schooled in it by his sister and sister-in-law.

"Thank you. What is this place?" She stepped further in, admiring the view. Ethan was struck how she didn't object to being called Lady. Gracie, Katherine, and Elvira had, even Bryn, Hana and Tatiana had.

"Um, it's called the observatory. It was used to see if any attacks were coming in the early days of Illea. But my brother used it for dates too."

"Oh. Well, it's very nice up here." She said. Ethan pulled out her chair for her, and she sat down. He signaled the guard to summon the waiters, and sat down at his own chair. Cordelia smiled briefly, and went back to watching the sunset. A waiter came, pouring champagne for them, followed by their first course. Cordelia didn't say much, and she ate even less. _ I guess it's up to me to do the talking… _Ethan supposed, wishing he was anywhere but here. He wasn't ready for the Selection. They had delayed it as long as possible, but he still wasn't ready.

"So, Lady Cordelia. You're an actress?" He said awkwardly.

"Yes." Was all she said. She didn't even seem shy, just like she didn't want to talk.

"Tell me about that."

Cordelia went down a long list of movies she'd been in, what part she played, and who starred in it. Ethan hadn't seen any of the ones she mentioned, and found himself focusing more on looking interested, and eating at the same time. When she had run out of movies, TV shows, guest roles, commercials, and appearances, the waiter brought in the second course.

"So tell me about your family." Ethan asked lamely. Cordelia quickly swallowed a mouthful.

"My mom, Felicia Whitney, designs clothes. She runs Gold Label. Surely you've heard of it?"

Ethan nodded politely, although he had no idea what she was talking about.

"My dad, Mason Whitney, is a director. His movies have been nominated, but have never won. He directed _Safe and Sound, A Life worth Living, _and _How Long? _Have you seen them?"

"Um, no." Ethan tried to say politely. Cordelia almost rolled her eyes, but seemed to catch herself.

"My sister, Marianne, is a pro-gymnast. She's not very good though." Cordelia said flippantly.

"So are you enjoying the Selection?"

"Oh, yes. I love it. Your mother is a picture of perfection, and I feel like I've known Princess Christine and Princess Michelle forever. I haven't gotten a chance to speak to Prince Wesley, but I already feel as if he were my own brother."

Ethan resisted laughing. If that wasn't BS, he didn't know what was.

They spent the remainder of the dinner in mostly silence. If she wasn't a Two, he would have eliminated her right then.

…

Nat sat up a little straighter, wishing Prince Ethan would look her way. It was Thursday. They'd gotten here last Friday, and they were almost a week in. Prince Ethan had gone out with Gracie after the interviews on Saturday. He'd gone out with Katherine on Sunday, and Elvira on Monday. Tuesday had been Bryn and Hana. Wednesday had been Tatiana and Cordelia.

Breakfast was tense- at least one girl was going on a date with the prince today, and they all wanted it to be them.

Nat knew it was stupid, but she was dying to talk to him again. She had liked him immediately in their interview. It wasn't love—yet. She glanced around her little corner of the table. It had become frosty yesterday after none of them had gotten a date. They were competing—silently. Adele, Sirena, Amber, Taylor and Rory all had their eyes on Prince Ethan. In fact, as Nat looked around the room, she realized they all did. Every girl either looked at him, or was glaring at the girls who already had dates.

"…So….you guys excited for the Report tomorrow?" Nat attempted at conversation. The girls around her moved their eyes off Prince Ethan and onto her. Finally, Amber spoke up.

"Yeah. I hope we don't have to talk or anything, though. My maids have been sewing like mad to finish my dress."

"Mine too. I can't wait to wear it." Sirena added.

"Prince Ethan won't know who to look at, if your dresses are as gorgeous as mine!" Nat teased, relived the mood was lightening.

"Well, we all know who looks the best in an evening gown." Rory spoke haughtily, but with a slight joking manner. "Besides, all men prefer blondes. It's a fact." She tossed her own gold tresses.

Nat caught Taylor rolling her eyes across from Rory as she jammed her fork into her omelet. The brunette rarely spoke in these conversations.

"Taylor, what are you wearing?" She asked, trying to be nice. Taylor glared at her.

"Purple." Was all she provided.

"My dress is going to be a surprise." Adele piped up on the end of the table, smirking.

"It's not like the maids will have any time to sew a new dress anyway." Taylor grumbled.

"I'm going with black and gold." Sirena told them. "It's easy, and I like it."

Rory snorted. "With your red hair? Wow."

"Hey, redheads can pull off any color." Amber defended, tossing her own red-brown locks. "And Sirena can pull off _anything._"

Nat glanced at Sirena's dress. It was true. She even looked good in a dark blue metallic mini dress.

"Just beware of Mackenzie." Nat cautioned. "Gracie told Nicole that after her date went so well, something happened to the dress her maids were working on for the Report, and one of Gracie's maids thinks she saw one of Mackenzie's with it."

"That girl is a stuck up brat." Rory complained. Nat wrinkled her brow. Rory usually hung out with Mackenzie and Cordelia.

"I thought you guys were friends." Sirena said.

"Yeah, well, Mackenzie isn't what I would call a friend." Rory stirred her coffee absent mindedly.

Before anyone could say anything else, Prince Ethan stood up, shooting a glare at Prince Wesley. The girls went dead silent, and everyone riveted their eyes on him. His ears turned red, and he slowly pushed in his chair.

"Lady Amber?" He inquired.

Nat watched Amber's eyes grow wide and her lips parted.

"Y-yes?" She asked in a shaky voice.

"How would you like to go on a date with me this afternoon?"

…

Amber could hardly contain her excitement. She was going to see a movie with Prince Ethan! She looked at the clock on the wall. Sometimes, Sophia's lectures were worse than school. She smoothed her outfit, one she had designed for her maids to sew. It had a cream colored bodice part, embellished with rhinestones on the sweetheart neckline and along the waist. The skirt part was a dark caramel color, and delicate tulle. It was long in some parts, and short in others, almost like elegant rags. It was innovative, and fun, and she loved it. She caught Mackenzie glaring at her, and remembered Nat's story with something akin to terror. She stole Gracie's dress. What else could she do?

There was a knock at the door to the Woman's Room, and Amber grinned. A maid entered.

"Lady Amber." She requested. "Prince Ethan is waiting."

Ignoring the glares, Amber stood up, and exited quickly. Her taupe heels clicked loudly, and if looks could kill, she would have been dead by now. She didn't breathe freely until the door closed behind her.

But her heart skipped a beat when she saw who was waiting for her. Prince Ethan was already turning red, and he hadn't even spoken to her yet. He wore black dress pants, and a white dress shirt, accompanied by a black vest and a royal blue tie, tucked in smartly. Amber tucked a strand of hair back behind her ear. Why did princes have to be so good looking?

"Lady Amber." He said, bowing slightly. Amber curtsied quickly, but she couldn't ignore being called "Lady". It made her uncomfortable, like she needed to act like a queen already.

"You don't have to call me Lady." Amber told him. Ethan stuffed his hands in his pockets, and studied the ground very carefully. "It makes me feel like someone I'm not. I may have been a Two, but I'm not a One."

She wanted to tell him the crux of the matter. She had never been one to beat around the bush with her emotions. Ethan nodded slowly. "And if you don't mind, can I just call you Ethan? All the prince business gets in the way."

"Um. Sure." Ethan mumbled.

"So, do you still want to see a movie?" Amber asked.

"If you want to." Ethan spoke quickly. Amber nodded.

"I'd love to." She always thought watching movies on dates was romantic. Still, it brought back painful memories. John had always taken her to the movies, because it was dark and no one would see him with her. "Where is it? This place is huge."

"It's downstairs. Next to the room where we do the Reports. My parents had it made for Andrew and Christine's engagement announcement. Christine loves movies." Ethan told her, the most he had said all day. He eased his hands out of his pockets. "Uh…shall we?" He gestured to the staircase. Amber grinned, and linked her arm through his. Ethan's face flamed again, and they began walking down the massive hall to the stairs.

Even in her heels, Amber felt cute and dainty next to Ethan's tall frame as they went down the stairs to the basement. Amber was sure that _basement _was not the right word to describe it in a palace, but she couldn't think of anything else.

"Random question." She blurted out. "If you could do anything else besides being a Prince, what would you do?"

Ethan chuckled softly. "No one told me girls ask all these philosophical questions on dates."

"I was making conversation!" Amber defended dramatically. "Besides, girls are smarter than you think!" She lifted her chin into the air in an imitation of some high ranking noble. Ethan chuckled again, and Amber's giggles joined his. She liked it when he laughed. It made her feel…good. Like someone actually had taken notice of her.

"Well, if you must know…I would defiantly get out of here. I want to see the world, and not just be stuck on this gilded platter all my life."

"Have you ever left?"

"Oh yeah, sure. Plenty of times. I've gone with my dad during conflicts and after crisis's, to make speeches and stuff. Diplomatic trips."

They reached the bottom of the stairs, and Ethan was beginning to open up more. The heavenly smell of buttered popcorn filled Amber's nose. _Must be getting close! _

"So that's where we film the Reports?" She asked, as they passed a room the size of a gymnasium. The two doors were open, and maids were cleaning the already spotless room, and some camera people were fiddling with the equipment. It looked familiar, the same room Amber had seen every Friday night.

"Yup. That's the place." Ethan said, nodding.

"Please tell me we're not getting interviewed or anything." Amber half-begged.

"Not this time. I think next week. They usually surprise me."

"Oh great!" Amber wailed. "I just know I'm going to throw up or trip or something."

"Yeah, you and me both." Ethan looked down at her. "Why does it freak you out so much? You seem like…I don't know, an extrovert."

"I have terrible stage fright. I can talk to anyone like this, but when I'm in front of lots up people, I just shake and sweat and I can hardly speak. It's terrible. I've always wanted to be a singer, but I wouldn't be able to handle it."

"I think you could do anything you wanted." Ethan said softly.

Amber didn't have much time to ponder the statement, as he opened a glass door, ushering Amber into a movie theater half the size of the one she always went to back in Dominica. The walls were dark wood paneling with red insets, to match the plushy red velvety chairs, and the gold and red carpeting. There was even a crimson and gold curtain over the screen. They sat down in the middle row, and the lights dimmed. A maid brought them typical movie theatre faire. The movie was a romantic comedy, one that Amber remembered seeing trailers for before leaving home. She guessed it was still in theaters now.

Still, it was almost impossible to focus on it. Ethan's arm kept brushing hers on the shared armrest, and he seemed nervous the whole time. About halfway through the movie, though, he casually slipped his arm over her shoulders. Amber practically jumped, it surprised her so much. It was electrifying, to be so near to him. She peeked at him, and saw his face was flaming, probably as much as hers.

Still, she reached for his hand and leaned back against his arm, feeling safe and maybe even loved.

…

**Okay, that's a long one! Do you guys like Amber and Cordelia? What about some of the other girls I included? Next chapter will be the Report! **

**Tell me about your love life in a review (if you want!) I'm lonely and bored, and I need more emails in my lack of a life! Do you like the new picture for this story? Also, how do you guys who didn't answer feel about The Heir? **

***Make sure to vote in the poll in my profile!* Amber has the most votes right now, so that's why I gave her the date! Let me know who you want to see next!**

**-Shades **


	26. News

**Since you all care about my life: I'm 17. When are the hormones going to stop? I just get these random pre-teen mood swings. I just start bawling at random times during movies when I'm by myself. Like, the part that is really epic and gives you goosebumps and makes you feel alive, and I just start bawling. You know that book trailer for The One with the cover girl and some lines from the Elite, where she blinks a lot? I cried in that. But I usually don't cry in movies. Gah, stupid hormones. Why can't Maxon be real? *cries***

**Anyway. **zanzibaby **pointed out I called her** anzibaby **when I thank everyone for reviewing. So thank you **zanzibaby, the5SOS-YAfangirl, delovlies, 4Love4Love4, **and **mnbvcxz-xx**! **

**And **delovlies, w**ho pronounces Maxon wrong. I would give an example, but I can't type it. **

**So this is the Report. I'm reverting back to Nat and Nicole's POV's, since it's easier and we haven't heard from them in a while! Nat's is much longer, but most of it is narration that doesn't have much to do with her, since that's just how it worked out. **

…

Nicole smoothed her hands over her gown. Tonight, all of Illea would see her—live. She had to stand out. Her maids had created a gorgeous gown. It was an empire waist, the strapless top a sweetheart neckline and a soft silvery cream color. The long, flowing skirt was a blueish lavender, swirling around her cream colored pumps. Her hair was pulled away from her face, with still loose. Her maids had worked their magic, and for once, her curls weren't frizzy. She still wore dark, dramatic eyeliner, but had paired it with eye shadow the same color as her skirt with it.

With one final glance in the mirror, Nicole took her leave. Sophia no longer required that they all leave and go places together, instead quizzing them during the day on the palace layout. Her 'classes' were impossibly boring, ranging from tasteful fashion and makeup choices, to etiquette and manners, to the history and government of Illea, to self-evaluations, to hosting functions, anything. Nicole could care less about most of it. She had no intention of being Queen. Once she made it to the Elite, and became a Two, she could leave.

While most of their free time restricted itself to socializing and entertaining themselves in the Woman's Room, they sometimes had free time in their room. Other than the dining room, the Woman's Room, their own rooms, and tonight, the Report room, they weren't allowed to go anywhere else unless accompanied by Prince Ethan or some other royal. Whenever Nicole was given free rein in the Woman's Room, she usually talked to Autumn, or Gracie.

She had to admit she was a _little _jealous of Gracie getting the first date, even though she had no intention of winning the Selection.

Autumn, on the other hand, was fascinating to talk to. She had been born a two, and was training as a dancer. Her mother had died when she was twelve in a freak car accident. Two years later, she had ran away from her turned abusive father, and found work as a Six, since she was able to forge documents with money stolen from her father. She had managed to support herself, and had continued to pursue her dancing and took up drawing as a hobby. Although somewhat guarded, especially about the details of her past, she was bluntly sarcastic, and stubborn to a point, and Nicole enjoyed spending time with her. She would have hung out with Nat more, but her sister always seemed to be talking to someone. She enjoyed the company of many of the girls, but mostly Nicole saw her with Cora, Amber, Sirena, and even Rory, when she wasn't with Mackenzie and Cordelia.

Nicole walked toward the stairs to the main level, following Rory in a hot pink getup, and Adele, wearing a stand out white dress, with a dropped waist and a halter style top covered with sequins on the straps. She heard footsteps behind her, and saw Meagan step out of her room, dressed in a bright lavender and silver gown, her blonde hair swept up. Nicole smiled automatically, and complimented her."

"I like your dress."

"Thank you." Meagan said, brushing her bangs out of her eyes. "Are you excited for the Report?"

"To be honest, I'm terrified we're going to have to say stuff! I know I'll make a fool of myself." Nicole admitted.

"Yeah, I know. All of Illea will be watching tonight! Our families will see us, and all of our old friends and boyfriends and stuff."

Nicole smiled to herself. Not _all _of her family would be watching. Nat would be in the same room, seeing it happen right in front of her. And for some reason, it gave her comfort.

…

Nat entered the familiar room. Well, she had never physically been in here before, but she had seen it every Friday, on the Report. Except now, she was actually here. Her parents would see her, Jason, Eva, and Lea would see her, even Ben would see her. She hurried quickly to her assigned seat, arranged behind the royal family on tiers. Like in the dining room, she was in between Sirena and Rory, neither of whom had arrived. She waved to Cora behind her, and looked for Nicole, but she hadn't arrived.

Nat nervously smoothed her straightened hair, and ran her hands down the fitted part of her dress. Like all the other girls, it was extravagant and eye catching. Instead of bright colors, however, Nat had gone with black, white, and silver. The top part was white, with black detailing, fitted tightly to her hips and thighs, with a dipping sweetheart neckline. In a mermaid style, it went down to the floor in white, but was overlaid with black and silver tulle at random angles. It had been paired with black stilettos, sparkly black eye shadow in addition to some eye liner and mascara, and a bright pink lipstick. Her hair still was straight, and loose.

She saw Rory enter, and at the other end of the tiered seating, Mackenzie stood up with a shriek. Their dresses were practically identical. Mackenzie's was a light shade of hot pink, with a slit up the thigh and silver embellishments. Rory's was dark hot pink, with a ruffled skirt sporting the same thigh high slit and silver embellishments. Even physically, they resembled each other. Mackenzie was a strawberry blonde, and Rory a platinum blonde, with spray-tanned skin and globs of makeup. Rory wore her hair curled and gathered to the side, and Mackenzie had hers loose, but other than that, they were practically twins.

"You-! You-!" Mackenzie sputtered. "That's _my _dress!"

"You told me you were wearing black!" Rory cried.

"Can't a girl change her mind?" Mackenzie wailed. She jumped up and stormed to the door, presumably to change, but Sophia stopped her, shooing in the last few girls and yelling at everyone to get to their seats. Nat sighed in relief, seeing Nicole wearing the total opposite of her own dress***. She waved, and Nicole waved and went to her seat.

Rory stomped up the sides and sat down next to Nat with a huff, the skirt falling to the side and revealing plenty of skin. Sirena settled in on the other side, wearing a nude and black dress with a tapered hem, and halter style sleeves, a gauzy drape over her arms. As usual, makeup was piled on her face, and her red hair was curled to perfection.

"I hope we don't have to say anything!" She whispered to Nat. "I would die!"

"I know!" Nat whispered back, grinning.

The royal family entered then, and there was a flurry of activity and the swish of fabric as the twenty four girls left stood and curtsied.

"They always look so beautiful!" Rory exclaimed under her breath.

"They're royalty." Nat joked.

King Jackson looked sharp in his black suit coat, with a starched white shirt and a blue tie. Queen Francesca smiled warmly, nodding to the girls. She wore a trumpet style steel blue gown, with long gauzy sleeves and neckline, her russet curls piled on top of her head. Prince Andrew wore a light blue suit and a red tie, his arm—as usual—entwined around Princess Christine's waist. The blonde was arrayed in an empire waisted light pink ball gown, dotted with springy flowers. Prince Ethan drew many stares and longing sighs and grins, wearing dark gray, and looking petrified. Prince Wesley wore light gray, his suit jacket notably absent, only his vest over his black dress shirt.

A few moments late, Princess Michelle followed at a harried clip. Although her dark hair usually resided in wild curls, tonight it had been straightened. She wore a black mermaid style gown, the bodice covered with feathery designs. Her makeup seemed to be hastily applied, and while usually she wore lipstick, she hadn't worn any tonight, and she seemed stressed. She took her seat in between next to Ethan and Wesley, and her mother, the queen. Queen Francesca gave her a look but Michelle just scowled.

Sophia clapped her hands. "Okay, everyone! We're live in one minutes!" Everyone meant all the remaining Selected girls, the royals, plus the advisors and legislators on either side of the chairs for the royalty and the tiered seating for the girls, plus two seats off to the side for Sophia and Taren. "Here's the schedule. The king will speak, and then Senator Abbot, and then any time remaining will be for the Selection. Taren will interview Prince Ethan, but ladies, be prepared, especially if you've gone out with him." Sophia hurried over abruptly to the camera crew, and Nat saw Amber and Gracie looks go to something of terror. However, they quickly pasted on smiles, because it was starting.

Nat sat up straight, and smoothed her hair one last time. All around her, the girls were fixing their gowns, checking their hair, and doing other last minute primping. And then, the lights were on, and the anthem was playing, and the cameras were flashing. King Jackson stood up, straightening his suit lapels and walked stoically to the podium. It was different, sitting behind him, instead of seeing what the cameras saw.

"Citizens of Illea. I come to you with saddening news." King Jackson began stoically. "Following the takeover of the province of Yukon, we now have reports that the governor, in fact, has been assassinated, as well three federal employees working in the capital Service Office. The governor's wife has presumably escaped, along with 24 missing citizens that are unaccounted for. We also have reports of attacks at various other Service Offices, including Sonage, Belcourt, Dakota, and Atlin." Nat saw Elvira, Hana, Cora and Gracie look frightened, and glance at the girls around them. This was all news to them.

"In addition, we have several reports of increased rebel activity, the most since they have begun their rebellion less than a year ago. They continue to keep their attacks on Service Offices, and not on private citizens. Therefore, we will be temporarily closing all Service Offices in Illea, to protect our employees. Business usually done through the Service Office will be briefly suspended."

Nat tuned out the rest of what he and one of the senators said afterwards, mostly about the budget and taxes and international affairs. She had no idea it had gotten this bad. The rebellion had just started late last winter, and had been more of a verbal thing. Even when they had captured Yukon, the Selection had been so pressing, it kind of slipped her mind. What if her family was attacked? The thought made her stomach turn.

Taren startled her out of her reverie. The announcer nodded to King Jackson as sauntered to the now empty podium. "As you all know, the Selection began a week ago. And we're already down to twenty four." He swept his arm behind him, to the girls. "Miss Saskia Buchannan, Miss Ava Rotham, Miss Audra Jepson, Miss Erica Carter, Miss Elly Olsen, Miss Alana Harowski, Miss Ruby Larson, Miss Summer Leean, Miss Lilly Carter, Miss Juniella Alonzo, and Miss Alexina Lee all went home after initially meeting Prince Ethan. He turned, and marched over to where Ethan sat. "Any comments, your highness?"

Ethan, practically crimson, cleared his throat. "I just didn't feel I connected with these girls, and I didn't want to waste their time and get their hopes up." He said awkwardly.

"Have you, as you said, connected with any of these girls still here?" Taren asked, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Uh, yes. I have gone out with several of them."

"Which ones?"

"Um, Gracie Luna, Katherine Page, Elvira Entrinken, Hana Piper, Bryn Harris, Tatiana Sarvey, Cordelia Whitney, and Amber Autumns…"

"Well, then!" Taren exclaimed. "Let's see what they thought about it, shall we?" He practically dashed up the risers, stopping at Gracie.

"Lady Gracie, did you enjoy your date with Prince Ethan?" Taren asked, beaming. He held the microphone out to her.

"Oh yes!" Gracie beamed, but her voice was soft.

"What did you kids do?" He raised his eyebrows teasingly.

"We went horseback riding, and raced through the gardens." Gracie bit her lip, her smile radiant.

"Who won?" Taren again held out the microphone.

"I won once, and he won the second time." Gracie half-giggled.

Taren turned to Tatiana, sitting next to Gracie. "What about you, Lady Tatiana? What did you do on your date?"

"Well, Prince Ethan gave me a tour of the palace." Tatiana said confidently, smoothing her peach colored dress. "And we talked for a while."

"Did he tell you any secrets?" Taren leaned slightly closer to her, and spoke slightly softer.

"No this time." Tatiana said, smiling playfully.

Taren talked to the other girls who had gone on dates, and Nat couldn't help but feel jealous. She didn't really know _what _to feel for the Prince, but she had liked talking to him in their interview, and wanted to talk to him again.

Next, Taren interviewed some of the royals. Queen Francesca spoke on what a delight it was to have all these lovely girls in the palace, and how bittersweet it was to see her second son choose a wife. Prince Andrew and Princess Christine reminisced about their own Selection, and vehemently denied the tabloid rumors of their divorce, which seemed to pop up every other week. When asked about being jealous of his older brothers, Prince Wesley boldly admitted that he was "all but drowning in it" but didn't hate them yet.

"Well, Illea, we are almost out of time, but I have some special news for you all. There have been many rumors, but we wanted to make it official. When she turns twenty one, our beloved princess Michelle will be officially engaged to Prince Orlando Vittorio of Italy!"

He stopped for applause, mostly from the Selected girls, and the advisors and family members. Nat couldn't help but notice the fakeness of Michelle's smile, nor her lack of enthusiasm.

Taren gave his closing comments for the Report, and almost as soon as it had begun, it was over, and Nat had survived her first Report. The lights came down, and everyone stood up.

Even though she was at the palace of Illea, Nat couldn't help but feel a strange camaraderie in the air as everyone around her stretched. It was like surviving another year of high school, or something like that.

_No matter what happened, I'm glad I came here. _

…

**Yay! Sorry that took so long, I've been really really busy! I won't have much time next week either, so sorry! This wasn't my best work, either. But I would still love to hear your thoughts! Every update, I feel like I lose a reviewer! I'm still doing dates, but they will be sprinkled in with stuff (like this) to move the plot along. **

**Don't forget to vote in the poll! Every update, I will give you an additional chance to vote. I know it's hard, but please try not to vote for your own character. Even if you don't have a character, you can still vote! (Please do!) **

**-Shades**


	27. Secret Meeting

**Well, I decided to post this. I was writing it randomly with no intention of posting it, but I think it helps explain some things I introduced last chapter. It will be a sub-plot, but I probably won't write much in Michelle's POV anymore, but I still wanted to post this. I copied all you guys writing these syoc stories and caved and did a magazine article (loosely based on the poll) but **devolies **requested it! Thanks to you guys for reviewing: z**anzibaby, mnbvcx-xx, majestictales, TheGirlWithTheRainbowTattoo, the5SOS-YAfangirl, 4Love4Love4, fairy not princess, Demigod-Gallagher-Selected, delovlies **plus my new reviewer, Guest Ash! Thanks guys! **

**Song Credit: "Faster Gun" Little Big Town**

…

Michelle's footstep echoed loudly down the main corridor of the third level, where she and the rest of the royal family kept to themselves. A smile tugged at her lips, remembering her, Wesley, Andrew, and Ethan's childhood play in the wide hallways, ranging from bicycles and roller skates to epic games of tag and hide and seek. Now, though, the palace had been invaded twice by too many girls, and Michelle was soon to be packed up and shipped off to Italy to marry a man she barely knew. She entered her room, glad to finally have some peace and quiet. She had dismissed her maids for the night before leaving to film the report. She was twenty, definitely old enough to know how to take a bath and change her own clothes.

Of course, some of the girls vying for Ethan's heart were so young, she doubted they couldn't get on without their maids. They had long since begun to annoy her.

She wandered through her suite of rooms, the sitting room, the parlor, the office, the bathroom and closet, her bedroom, and the private dining room. It was nearly eleven, he should be here by now. She stepped into the hallway, looking both ways. Seeing no one, she hurried to the small utility room at the end of the hallway, wincing at the squeak of the never-used hinges. A chemically, musty smell greeted her. Her heels echoed ominously on the cheap tile, and she stepped carefully behind a water heater, holding her fitted black gown away from the dust. It was rather humbling, to see this closet. The palace was a gilded, beautiful place, but to see a common utility closet by the servant's staircase put it all in perspective. She turned the rusted knob at the half sized door behind the water heater, and entered a sort of attic. Several old boxes of old things, and some chewed through dead cables lined the drafty space, as well as the ever present mouse droppings. Michelle ducked in, shutting the door softly. He wasn't here yet.

A second later, she heard the outer door to the utility room open, and she heard the familiar footsteps, full of confidence and self-assurance. The door to the storage room opened, and David entered.

Before he could even say hello, she practically launched herself at him, flinging her arms around him. He kicked the storage room door closed with his foot. Michelle lost herself in that kiss. With everything she had pent up for the last few weeks in his absence, she kissed him. He was equally urgent, his hands tracing her spine through her gown, and tangling into her hair. When they moved to the lacings in the back, she pulled back, breathless.

"I missed you so much." She whispered. It wasn't Shakespeare or anything, for a girl who hadn't seen her love in weeks, but her brain was still a little foggy from the heated kiss. David was a simple guard, who would never be worthy enough for the only blood princess of Illea. One dance at the Winter's Ball last year was all it took for them to have an excuse to be together. He had been part of her protection force, and she always requested him to accompany her on rides, and stand outside her door at night. Their relationship had secretly grown, and she was always finding excuses to be around him. They had agreed to meet to talk in this closet-within-a-closet, but they hadn't done much talking after a few meetings. They had used Carly, Michelle's maid and David's sister to deliver messages. But the Queen had caught them embracing one night when David was supposed to be guarding her door, and had sent Carly away. Michelle had sought her out in the servant's quarters, and found out that she now worked for Amelia, one of the Selected, and the rest of the story. Michelle hadn't even known her mother had seen her.

Then, a little less than a month ago, he had been reassigned to St. George protect those dumb Selected girls when they weren't at the palace. He had worked at the airport and during their send offs, even hanging around a few extra days at one of their houses to make sure none of the increased rebel activity hurt their families.

But he was back. And it was all that mattered.

Even in the dark storage room, she could tell he looked different. A new stubble graced the skin beneath his well-defined cheekbones, and his sandy dark blonde hair was much shorter than the last time she had seen him. Still, his grayish eyes ever remained the same, intense and searching her face in the dim lighting.

"I missed you to." He whispered, pulling her close. She laid her head on his chest, inhaling his familiar scent, of pine and the mint gum he always chewed.

"Did you watch the Report?" She asked, her voice muffled into his uniform.

"Of course. It's always on in the barracks."

"Did you hear the announcement?"

"Yes." His voice dropped to barely a whisper, and his grip tightened around her.

"I don't want to go." Michelle sighed. It was a simple statement, but it meant so much more. She didn't want to leave her love, and marry a prince she had met twice and hadn't liked. She didn't want to leave Illea, and her family either. "But I know I'll have to. Will you come with me?"

"I don't know. I'll do all I can to get reassigned on your protection detail." David tucked a strand of hair back out of her face. "I don't want to leave you again."

Michelle hugged him again. "I wish it was different. I wish you could just…I hate being a princess." She finished. "I want to be normal. I want to go on dates with you, and spend the whole time at the movies making out."

David smirked at her request. "Oh?" He said teasingly, leaning in to kiss again. "Like this?"

Michelle tightened her arms around his neck. "Just like that." She breathed. After a moment, she pulled away. "Except not in a closet. If you get caught, you'll be punished." She shivered at the thought. "And I'll probably never see you again."

"So what time should I pick you up tomorrow?"

Michelle swatted him lightly on the arm. "Be serious!" She complained. David kissed her again.

"Serious enough?" He said, raising his eyebrows. Michelle couldn't suppress her smile.

They talked of a few trivial things, like life at the palace, and Ethan's Selection for a while. All too soon, Michelle noticed David trying to check his watch without her knowing.

"Time to go already?" She asked, trying to keep the disappointment out of her voice.

"If I stay any longer, we risk getting caught." David shrugged.

"I know." Michelle dusted off her dress, and tried to put her hair to rights. "You go first." She said. He quickly kissed her goodbye, and then, he left. Michelle stayed in the storage room for five minutes, thinking about all the things that could have been. If she wasn't a princess, they could have been married by now. After enough time had passed, she slipped into the utility room, and then into the hallway, squinting at the sudden bright light of the well-lit corridor. She softly closed the door behind her.

"Michelle?"

Michelle started, looking up to see her sister in law, Christine, pause outside the door to her and Andrew's rooms. "What were you doing in there?"

"…the hot water wasn't working in my room. I was trying to fix it." Michelle blurted out the first thing that came to her mind, avoiding the temptation to wince. What kind of princess was she, fixing the water heater? "I think I'm just going to call one of the staff…" She finished awkwardly, hoping Christine wouldn't notice the dust on her dress…or her messy hair…or her flushed complexion.

Christine gave her a quizzical look. Michelle loved having a sister, but sometimes, she tended to show up in the wrong place at the wrong time.

"Um, did you talk to Ethan?"

Christine seemed distracted enough now. "Yes. He said he would ask Nicole soon."

"Good. I think that since she's representing Yukon, it might help the crisis."

Michelle and Christine had taken it upon themselves to arrange all of Ethan's dates, much to his chagrin. Sometimes, boys just needed some help.

"We need to start planning Wesley's birthday celebration. It's going to have to be special, since one of the Selected girls has the same birthday."

"Who?" Michelle tried to keep her voice interested so Christine wouldn't remember why they were talking.

"Lissa Dove, the Seven."

"Oh. Right. Well, we can talk tomorrow." Michelle was suddenly exhausted, and felt more like throwing a pity party by herself than planning parties. She stepped closer to her room, but Christine jumped in front of her.

"You're hiding something." Christine said knowingly. "That's the face of a girl in love."

"What are you talking about?" Michelle mumbled the lame excuse.

"I smell boy." Christine tipped her chin in the air rather triumphantly. "What were you doing in the closet again?"

"I told you. And it's just Ethan's new cologne. I had to sit next to him for the filming." Michelle said the first thing she thought of.

"Uh-huh." Christine gave a skeptical nod.

"Yeah." Michelle nodded quickly. "Um. Good night." She quickly slipped into her room, her face flaming.

She decided there was only one thing for it. Several minutes later, she was submerged up to her chin in the huge bathtub in her even huger bathroom, her hair pinned haphazardly up, the bath water steaming. She flipped open a magazine, one of those trashy celebrity gossip ones that usually had her at her worst moments plastered across a two page spread. Thankfully, that was one good thing about the Selection. They distracted the paparazzi. Usually, where talentless singers and actors graced the pages, the magazine had done a whole issue on meeting the Selected. Bored, Michelle scanned the pages, looking for interesting tidbits. After all thirty five had been discussed, there was a place where the editors had given their opinions on who was going to win. _This should be interesting. _

Personally, Michelle had no idea on who her brother would pick, because once she had hit thirteen, she had stopped playing with him and Wesley and Andrew. At fifteen, she gone to tour the world with her mother for a six months and then had studied in France for two years, even though she was a princess, and basically only had to look pretty the rest of her life. She barely knew them anymore. Still, she had a few girls in mind she wouldn't mind having as a little sister. She scanned the spread, not surprised to see only the upper castes represented, and the write-up shallow and fashion focused.

_Sirena Mastrano. Daughter of the Midston governor and fashion icon Katherine Blair, beautiful and talented model, volleyball player, the list goes on and on. This stunning redhead's intrigue and caste Two make us think she will go far in this competition. Even early in the completion, she has shown she can wear any dress, no matter the color or the cut. Sirena is very passionate about life, and we would love to see her win Prince Ethan's heart. _

_Gracie Luna. After fainting upon meeting our beloved Prince, Lady Gracelyn—better known as Gracie—scored the first date and confessed on the Report to have beat him in a horse race. She is sugar sweet, not to mention gorgeous, already a favorite among Illea. She doesn't need hiked hems or plummeting necklines to show off her beauty, either, and being a Three doesn't hurt her chances. She loves baking and horses, and it isn't hard to see her as our next princess of Illea. _

_Mackenzie Parker. Prince Ethan would do well with this stunner by his side. We all know her as the host of the Angeles News, and she is renowned for her looks. She is a very powerful choice in the competition. We all heard the Queen gush about her kindness and spirit on the Report, and it comes as no surprise. She handles herself beautifully in all circumstances, and if we were to guess, we'd say she has the next date! _

_Nicole Rosalyn. While Nicole is only a Four, she is a symbol of patriotism. Randomly Selected from Kent, she represents Yukon, the province currently in the hands of the rebels. In a surprising turn of events, she is actually the twin sister of Kent's Natalia Rosalyn, but its fun to see them making their own identities. Nicole shed her brunette locks for a more caramel blonde, and it looks great on her. She loves ballet, and we imagine she and Princess Christine get along quite well! _

_Amber Autumns. If you haven't checked this emerging fashion designer's label out, do it now! We love it! The redheaded Two is certainly a strong contender. During her first meeting with Prince Ethan, the two couldn't stop smiling. She also managed to already secure a date! She designs all her clothing while she is at the palace, and we're hoping she releases them for sale soon, because we love them!_

_Adele Warren. The lowest caste on our list, Adele is a Five, but she can't help but love her! She is a dancer/actress in live theatre productions, and it certainly shows! Adele is dramatic and vivacious, and would be a good pick for Queen. She has already shown her signature style to be vintage, from her lipstick and Old Hollywood hairstyles, to her 1930s Era dresses. She was excited to come to the palace with fellow actress Felicity Weaver, and we're so jealous of her dancer's figure! _

…

**Don't forget to review, vote, and check my profile for a link I put up thanks to **the5SOS-YAfangirl **on my reference Powerpoint, where you can see pictures of the girls and their outfits and stuff! Time to go fail a Physics test!**

**-Shades**


	28. Tumble and Fall

**Hi guys! Sorry this took forever, I've been busy, and had some slight writer's block, but I have today off. Thank you Veterans! By the way, that physics test I thought I failed, I actually got an A! Who doesn't love partial credit? (Thanks **mnbvcxz-xx, the5SOS-YAfangirl**, and** 4Love4Love4!)

**My love life (or lack thereof) totally inspired this chapter. I can never decide how I feel about certain boys. Or figure out why I even like them. Yup. **

**Thank to these lovely lovelies: the before mentioned** mnbvcxz-xx, the5SOS-YAfangirl, and 4Love4Love4, plus zanzibaby, delovlies, majestictales, TheGirlWithTheRainbowTattoo,** and **Demigod-Gallagher-Selected.

…

Ethan pulled his horse down to a bouncy walk, releasing a deep sigh. Back to another day of being a prince. Sure, there were a lot worse things he could be doing, but still, some days, it sucked.

Like recently. Sure, he liked Amber, but as for Cordelia, he wished he could eliminate her. Except she was a Two, and he would get way too much hate over that. Plus, he needed to figure out something to do to stop the rebellion, and there was always squabbles with the legislatures to solve.

It was Saturday, usually when his parents met with important people and he hid in his room catching up on princely duties and paper work. He had decided to sneak in a ride first. Ethan stopped his horse outside of the stable on the gravel pathway, and dismounted. He led Tiger into the stables, and into his large stall. As usual, he untacked the horse himself, and was just going to the tack room to put away the saddle when he spied his two sisters coming down the main aisle of the stables.

Christine, actually his sister-in-law, wore a long tan colored riding dress, with a fitted cream jacket, her blonde curls braided back. Michelle wore a similar outfit, except dark green. They each led a mount, chatting quietly, but looked up when he came out of Tiger's stall.

"You didn't forget about your date with Nicole, did you?" Michelle said, not bothering to greet him first. "You have like two hours. Do you know what you're even doing?"

Ethan froze. _Crap. _He had totally spaced and forgotten about the attempt to rally the country and date the girl representing Yukon. He had to think fast. There was no way he was admitting to them he had forgotten.

"…of course not." He said lamely. "And I don't need your help either. It's my Selection. I can handle it without all the nagging."

Michelle and Christine looked at each other and giggled.

"Sure you can." Michelle said, her tone snarky. The girls left, and Ethan handed his horse off to the nearest groom, and hurried as fast as he could back inside, at least as fast as one could go without looking suspicious and forgetful.

He had written a note to Nicole last night after the Report, asking her out on a date today at three, and he had less than two hours to plan something that would appease the people. He had to make sure the camera crews got some footage, because this date was strategic. When he had interviewed Nicole, they both had been too shy to talk much, and it had been pretty awkward. He would have much preferred one of the other girls-Sirena, Adele, or maybe Meagan. Still, duty was duty. He just had to think of something. Michelle and Christine had been planning the activities for him, but he had told them last night he would handle it, and was now seriously regretting it. Why did women have to be so complicated?

Well, if there was someone he could ask to explain their mysterious ways, it was his brother, Andrew. He had already been through the Selection once, and although Ethan was usually annoyed by Andrew's loud egotistical cockiness, his older brother knew a lot about women.

Ethan knocked on the door to Andrew's office, and the door was yanked open a few seconds later.

"What." Andrew said lazily, leaning against the door frame.

"I need your help." Ethan said quickly. Andrew smirked knowingly.

"What for?"

"Um, I need to plan a date. I asked Nicole out, and I forgot about it, and I have like two hours."

"Ask Christine. Or Michelle." Andrew moved to close the door.

"Yeah, no. I can't, because I told them I didn't forget."

"Well, go tell them you _did _forget." Andrew closed the door, but Ethan quickly jammed his foot so the door couldn't close all the way.

"Please. I really need your help. This has to be a good date, to appease the people, since Nicole is representing Yukon."

Andrew smirked in a very annoying manner. "Wait, let me get this straight. You need my help."

"Yeah." Ethan hated it when Andrew did this. He was always trying to assert his dominance and just be generally annoying.

"How badly do you need my help?"

"Very badly. How about you just tell me what you want me to say, and I'll say it already?" Ethan grumbled.

"Okay fine. I'll help you." Andrew stepped out of his room, socking Ethan on the shoulder in his version of fun. "First, what are you kids going to do?"

"I told you already. I have no freaking idea."

"Well, girls like romantic stuff, like picnics and stuff. And do something you haven't done with any of the other girls."

"I already took Katherine on a picnic, though."

"Where?"

"In the gardens."

"So take her to a picnic on the roof."

"The roof? Why? It's just a bunch of bird crap and the guard's cigarettes."

"That's what we have maids for. C'mon."

Fifteen minutes later, Andrew had already handled everything, and Ethan could only watch, half amazed, but mostly annoyed. They were cleaning the roof up, and an elaborate picnic was being prepared.

"Dude, just watch and learn. You don't have to do everything yourself." Andrew clapped him on the back, and turned to go. "Anything you want to say to me?"

"Um. Thanks." Ethan managed, gritting his teeth.

"Anytime, bro." Andrew sauntered off. Ethan sighed, and went back to planning everything. Nearly an hour later, everything was ready, thanks to the staff.

…

Nicole took a nervous breath, watching her reflection in the mirror. Even though they were supposed to be in the Woman's Room on Saturdays, Sophia had given her permission to get ready for her date, and Nat had managed to get out of it too. Her maids had dressed her in a short, flouncy pastel blue dress, with delicate silver sleeves with a lacy design. Her hair was pulled back away from her face with a tiny braid on each side, woven together on the back, the bottom curled in tiny, perfect curls. She wore three inch matching blue open toed- heels with a little glittery flower on the toe. Her maids were applying her make-up, lighter than normal.

"You nervous?" Nat asked, perched on Nicole's bed. This was probably the first time she had actually hung out with her sister since the Selection.

"Um, yeah! I've never been on a real date before!" Nicole's voice came out high pitched with nerves.

"Well…" Nat began, "Just, you know, be yourself. Don't try too hard or anything. Also, don't try to be too flirty. You want to be actual friends, not just boyfriend and girlfriend. Does that make sense?"

"I think so." Nicole hesitated. She didn't want to bring up the topic of Ben around Nat.

"So what are you guys doing?" Nat asked.

"I honestly have no idea." Nicole fingered the invitation he had delivered to her last night. "He just said he would meet me at my room at three."

Nat glanced at the clock. "You have like five minutes, then."

The maids put the finishing touches on her makeup, and squirted her wrists with the Tea Rose perfume.

"There. You're ready." Ashley told her beaming. A second later, a knock sounded on the door. Nat squealed, and dragged Nicole's maids into the bathroom where the Prince couldn't see them, giving Nicole an enthusiastic wave before ducking out of sight.

Nicole tentatively opened the door, all of her sister's advice leaving her head immediately. Prince Ethan stood before her, dressed in black slacks, and a deep blue button down shirt, smiling bashfully, hands stuffed—as usual—in his pockets.

"Lady Nicole." He bowed slightly. Nicole bit her lip, not expecting to feel so nervous. What did it matter? She wasn't here to fall in love.

"Prince Ethan." She murmured, taking his offered arm. They walked down the corridor, neither of them saying anything. Nicole felt her face heat up. Why couldn't she be like Nat, and always have something funny or cute to say?

They neared the staircase, but instead of going down, Prince Ethan led her up to the next set of stairs—to the third floor. Nicole swallowed, and tried to think of something to say. _Wait, I don't want to make him think I'm interested. I'm not. _Nicole kept repeating this to herself, trying not to feel nervous or excited, but she couldn't help it.

"Where are we going?" She finally asked.

Ethan cleared his throat. "Um, to the roof. If that's okay."

"That sounds…nice."

With their conversation effectively over, they continued in silence. They passed the main hallway that was almost larger than the second floor, which could house fifty guests, while the third floor only housed the royals. The stairway continued, although it wasn't as wide or grand as the lower ones. At the top, there was a plain door, and Nicole realized this was probably for the guards or something. Ethan opened the door for her, and Nicole stepped outside. A gale of wind whipped her dress all around, and sent her hair into a frenzy. Dark clouds ominously settled on the horizon, and the fresh scent of coming rain filled the air. A small table had been set up, but the table cloth whipped around.

"I think it's going to rain." Nicole pointed out, holding out her free hand to test for sprinkles.

"Do you want to go inside?" Prince Ethan asked, frowning.

"No, it's okay. It's not raining yet." Nicole said quickly, not wanting to hurt his feelings. They took their seats, and Nicole reached for the pitcher of lemonade on the table. Before she could fill her glass, however, thunder rumbled quite close, and lightning split the sky. Rain began to pour down in sheets, without warning.

Nicole and Ethan both stood up quickly. Nicole reached for the plate of desserts and the glasses, trying to move everything inside before all of Ethan's hard work was ruined. She handed the things to him

"Take these inside." She commanded, not realizing she was addressing the _prince _of Illea. She picked up the vase of flowers, and a few other things.

"Just leave it, Nicole." He said, putting the things back on the table.

"Are you kidding? They'll be ruined." Nicole cried. "I can't."

Ethan grasped her arm. "It's fine. I don't care about it anyway. The maids will take care of it."

Nicole allowed him to pull her back inside, not missing how he clenched his jaw. He wrenched open the door, practically hitting the camera crew just inside. Nicole's mouth fell open, and just like their failed date, the whole thing was caught on camera. She immediately looked down at her dripping wet dress, now almost see through and clinging to her legs. Her perfect curls were in bedraggled mess, and she was sure her makeup was running everywhere. She looked at Prince Ethan, and found him calmly wringing water out of his jacket.

With disgust, she suddenly realized the whole ploy. He had set her up. Without a word, she threw the contents of the vase she was still holding at him, not caring he was already wet, and dashed down the stairs, trying to keep the tears at bay. _He knew it was going to rain! He made me look like an idiot, and they caught the whole thing on the cameras! _She realized how upset she was. _Wait, this is dumb. Why should I care? I'm not in this for falling in love. _She stopped her rapid descent. _Why would he do that, though?_ Nicole quickly pushed the thoughts away, and ran back to her room, leaving a trail of water in her wake.

Her maids didn't ask questions when she burst into the room, soaking wet, trying to stop crying. They left without questioning her request. Nicole took a shuddering breath, and slipped out of her wet clothes. She kicked off her shoes, and dug through her closet to find something comfy to put on before having to change for dinner. Of course, there was only gowns. Although usually she hadn't been an avid wearer of sweatpants back home, none of these dresses felt like her own clothes. She just wanted feel like herself for a moment. She ended up in a silky white nightgown, her wet hair pinned up off her neck. Nicole nestled herself into the small window seat she had yet to use, and leaned her cheek against the cool glass, listening to the tap of the rain of the glass, watching it slide carefully down the pane. _I still don't understand why I'm upset. I got here, didn't I? What does it matter if I don't make it to the Elite? I can marry into the Twos without it. It was just the way he did it. And what happened, I guess. _

She allowed herself a pity party for a while, but all too soon, her maids were back. They giggled incessantly, for no particular reason. They dried her hair, and swept it up, and reapplied her makeup slightly darker, topping it off with a dark burgundy lipstick. She put on a white and gold mermaid style dress, with gold filigree detailing over the torso and cap sleeves. When she was ready, she went towards the door, and opened it.

Instead of the empty hallway, like only a few hours ago, she saw Prince Ethan standing before her. _Whoa, déjà vu. _

He handed her a single white rose, his ears reddening. "I'm sorry our date went so terribly before. I'd like to make it up to you, though." By this time, his entire face was scarlet, and he looked thoroughly embarrassed. "Would you—um, would you have dinner with me?"

Nicole mentally face-palmed. All that anguish for nothing. In spite of herself, she beamed. "I would love to." She said, taking the rose. Prince Ethan smiled—one of the first genuine ones she had seen from him—and offered her his arm. Nicole took it, feeling her own face heat up. As he had done earlier, he led her upstairs, only this time, they walked down the main hallway, passing the princesses on their way to dinner. Michelle and Christine were both red faced and tittering and Michelle winked at her brother. Ethan took her up another gilded flight of stairs, this one a spiral staircase.

"This place sure has a lot of secret hideaways." Nicole pointed out.

"We're going to the observatory. You'll like it, I promise." Ethan said. They crested the stairs, and he opened the door for her, revealing a small, windowed room, complete with a table set with dinner for two.

"Is this the place you took Cordelia to?" Nicole asked, recalling the brunette's thorough description of her date to anyone who would listen.

"Yeah. I hope you don't mind."

"It's so beautiful!" Nicole gushed. Even though it was raining, it somehow made it more magical. Ethan pulled her chair back for her, and Nicole sat down. He took the chair opposite.

"I have a confession to make. I don't want to beat around the bush with you." He said.

"Okay…"

"I only asked you out since you're representing Yukon, and I thought it might appease the people. And then I forgot about our date, and I had to set the whole picnic thing up because I didn't want to admit to my sisters I forgot. Honestly, I had no idea it was going to rain."

Nicole fought against the disappointment, but it was increasingly difficult. "Oh. Well, I'm glad you're honest." It was all she could think of to say.

"Wait, I wasn't finished." Ethan's ears went red again. They seemed, at least to Nicole, to do that a lot. "My sisters told me they knew I would forget and set this whole thing up for us." He gestured to the glamourous dinner display. "But even if I could have said no, I wouldn't have. Because…" At this point, the flush spread to his face. "Well, because now that I got to know you a little better…I like you."

Nicole bit her lip. She had no idea what to say right now.

"I mean, I don't like like you, like…never mind. I'm just saying I don't view you as an obligation to go out with anymore. Does that make sense?"  
Nicole nodded. "Perfectly." She admitted. "And you're not so bad yourself." She smiled shyly at him. Now the only thing that didn't make sense was her feelings.

…

**First off, apologies, if this chapter was repetitive. There are a lot of characters like Nicole! I tried to make them all different, but when they're not, it's hard. Not that I don't love those characters, but I know some of you guys don't. Remember to vote again! I think I fixed it so you can vote again, but I don't know if it worked, so let me know! Check the powerpoint link on my profile to see Nicole's date dresses, but you'll just have to figure it out, I didn't specify. **

**Don't forget to review! If you don't know what to say, tell me what you'd like to see happen, which characters you like and don't like, anything! **

**Happy Veterans Day!**

**-Shades**


	29. Could It Be

**Hey peeps! Sorry this took a little while, I was busy reading the best Selection fanfic I've read yet. If you're like me, and you're not super thrilled about the Heir, read this! It's got all the Maxmerica you could want, and then some! It's called "After the One one-shots" but the author, **Ellie Parker, **has a good storyline for it too! READ IT!**

**Is anyone else annoyed by the sheer number of Selection SYOC stories popping up every day? Don't want to toot my own horn, since I did jump on the bandwagon a little late, but first of all, these stories usually go nowhere, and you waste time making characters. If you're not going to write it (or write it decently) don't post it! Gahh, pet peeve! **

**My reviews were few this time, so I considered rethinking some first dates for those that only review every now and then, but luckily, your character's popularity saved you. If you're not reviewing, especially if you never have, don't expect your character to stick around much longer. Still, **zanzibaby, mnbvcxz-xx, delovlies, **and **the5S0S-YAfangirl, **your characters are safe! Thanks guys! Also to my new reviewer **short shadows.** Thanks!**

…

_Lady Amelia Wilde got herself in quite a bit of trouble less than an hour after arriving to the palace. She confronted a former acquaintance, Lady Erin Rusk, who has been attending the Illean Military Academy in Labrador. Apparently, she accused Lady Erin of sabotage, and told her she had no chance whatsoever in the Selection, and several other nasty off-camera things. While both girls are still here, it's only a matter of time before Prince Ethan sends Lady Amelia home. _

Amelia threw down the magazine in disgust. One stupid little mistake. Just one, and she had blown her chance. She didn't really feel like going back down to the Woman's Room anymore. It was after lessons, and before lunch. Sophia had given them fifteen minutes of free time, and Amelia had escaped to her room, only to find a 'present' from Erin, a recent gossip magazine, one of many featuring public opinion on the Selected. She re-read the note scribbled on the front.

_Lia, just thought you might want to see how your PMS has affected your standings with Illea. Stay classy, _

_-Erin. _

A poll had showed Amelia she was at the bottom of the pack, with less than .5% of the voters, and assumed that had been her family and friends. To make matters worse, Erin had left after lessons for her first date, flaunting her long legs in a tight, glitzy, silver body-con dress. Sophia had almost had another conniption fit, seeing the hemline of Erin's dress. Still, it was a dress. She had been trying to get away with wearing pants, but Sophia had quickly put an end to that.

Amelia smoothed her dress. She had lately felt too depressed to wear anything other than black. Still, with her tan olive toned skin, and dark hair and eyes, it looked good on her. She wore a fitted black dress that went just to her knees, belted at the waist. A mock short sleeve style was made of translucent black gauze, covering the base of her throat, and her shoulders. Her maids had paired it with low black wedges.

Amelia glanced at the clock on her desk, seeing it was almost time to get going down to the dining room for yet another boring lunch. She sighed heavily, and checked her hair in the mirror before venturing out into the hallway, and down the massive staircase. Lunch was the meal most of the royals skipped, preferring to eat in their rooms, and without them watching, the other girls would put their real fronts forward. Thankfully, the six girls who sat around her were pretty nice. Felicity sat on her right, and Autumn on her left, with Dorianne across from her, and Nicole and Michaela on either side. Michaela kept most of their conversations lively, she was always talking about something. Amelia usually sought her and Katherine out in the Woman's Room, although Michaela and Katherine were already pretty close, since they were both bakers.

She arrived at the dining room, going to her seat, surprised to see all the royals in attendance today except the King, and Prince Ethan. A second glance at the other table showed her he was probably still on his date with Erin. Amelia sat down, finding her table thoroughly hanging onto Nicole's every word. At the other end, Mackenzie's face was scarlet, and her hands were in fists. Next to her, Cordelia wore a smug smile. Elvira and Gracie, who sat at the other end, rolled their eyes to one another, and whispered to each other. No doubt Gracie had already heard the story of Nicole's date. She, along with Autumn, were Nicole's closest friends.

"Did he kiss you?" Michaela asked, grinning as she leaned her chin on her propped up arm.

"No!" Nicole shrieked incredulously. "In fact, we hardly even talked. It was so unbelievably awkward at first. After a little while, it got easier, though."

"What did you guys talk about?" Felicity inquired, as the waiters arrived with their meal. As usual, it was always some kind of salad or soup for lunch. Personally, Amelia was no fan of salad, but with enough croutons and vinaigrette, it was good. She listened to the girls chatter around her, remembering how each of them were doing in the polls in that stupid magazine. Nicole was at the top, due to her popularity of representing the rebel controlled province of Yukon. Michaela was fairly high up, with Dorianne, Autumn and Felicity all with lower numbers, and then Amelia at the bottom.

The doors to the dining room burst open, and Prince Ethan stormed in, two high spots of color on his cheeks. He took his seat without a word and began eating. A moment later, Erin sauntered in, her eyes narrowed and her glittery silver eye shadow glittering. She shot a smug look at Amelia, winked at Prince Ethan, and took her seat at the other table; Rory, Bryn, and Meagan falling on her with questions.

Amelia glanced up at the royals. Princess Michelle rolled her eyes at Erin, and Princess Christine nudged Prince Andrew. The look on Prince Ethan's face told Amelia the date hadn't gone _that _well. A tap on her shoulder startled her. Amelia turned to see one of the maids she didn't know.

"Lady Amelia." The maid curtsied, and handed her a folded piece of paper, and left quickly, without an explanation.

"What is it?" Michaela asked.

"How should I know?" Amelia said playfully, unfolding the paper.

_Lady Amelia, _

_I would love to hear your side of the story, and get to know you better. I could give you an archery lesson after lunch, if you'd like. _

_Ethan. _

Amelia felt bewildered. Her? A date? At the bottom of the polls? She glanced over at Prince Ethan, who quickly looked away, his ears reddening. Amelia couldn't help but smile. He was so different from Alex, her ex who had cheated on her with Erin. Alex had been cocky and romantic, and this boy was offering to give her an archery lesson, and couldn't even look at her. Still, he glanced her way, and she gave him a nod before he could look away, holding up the note just slightly. He smiled back, ever so slightly, his whole face now red.

Mackenzie hadn't missed the exchange, however. Three seats down on Amelia's left, she looked over at Cordelia, two seats down.

"He must have asked her out! Why would _he _ask _her _out?" She squealed in an undertone, looking darkly in the direction of the royals. "He hasn't asked any of the Twos."

"You forgot me. And Amber." Cordelia pointed, matter-of-factly.

Mackenzie huffed. "Why hasn't he asked me, then?"

_ I can think of a lot of reasons. _Amelia thought to herself, giggling slightly. She nervously picked at the rest of her food until lunch was over. As usual, Mackenzie was all over Prince Ethan, fawning over him and enthusiastically complimenting him. Amelia rolled her eyes, and wondered if she should wait for him. She didn't have to.

"I need to talk to you." Princess Michelle approached her, speaking in a harried whisper. Amelia smiled, trying to be friendly, but still wondering what a princess could want from her. Then, she vaguely recalled her maid, Carly, telling her about Michelle's secret affair with Carly's brother, a guard. Michelle handed her a piece of paper—folded tightly.

"Can you give this to your maid?"

"Carly?" Amelia blurted out, without thinking. Michelle looked at her quizzically, slowly nodding. "I mean…" Amelia back peddled. "She mentioned she used to work for you, so…"

"Right." Michelle snatched Amelia's wrist, and deposited the letter so no one could see her do it. "Can I trust you not to read it? Or tell anyone else of this?"

"Of course." Amelia wondered if she should reveal that she knew what was going on. Carly had mentioned her brother had been re-assigned, but this must mean he was back. Michelle nodded tersely, and turned to go.

"Hey, wait." She faced Amelia. "I just wanted to tell you, that I know that stuff you said on camera was a flub. Erin, well, she's what I would call something not fitting for a princess to say. And if I know my brother, she won't last long, either." Michelle smiled, and her eyes shifted to someone behind Amelia. "Good luck." She said as she left. Amelia turned, finding Prince Ethan behind her, his hands stuffed in his pockets.

"Hi." He said, awkwardly shuffling his feet.

"Hi." Amelia answered back, curtsying.

"You don't have to do that…" he half mumbled.

"Does it get a little annoying?" Amelia guessed.

Prince Ethan shrugged. "Yeah. Plus, I…I don't want you guys to treat me just like a prince. I would rather just be…me, I guess."

"Well, I'll call you just plain Ethan if you'll just call me plain Amelia."

"Fair enough. So did you get my note?"

"I did. I would love to have an archery lesson." Amelia said happily. "At home, I'm the only girl, so I'm no stranger to sports. I've never done archery, though."

"I thought you might. If you don't want to, we could go horseback riding or something."

"No, this is fine." Amelia said quickly. She hadn't taken horseback riding lessons since she was little, and she didn't want to embarrass herself. Besides, Ethan had suggested archery, and she didn't want him not to enjoy himself.

They left the dining room, now empty, except for Mackenzie, watching them like a jealous cat. For a moment, neither of them said anything, and Amelia was worried her date would just be terribly awkward. They stepped out into the gardens, and Amelia tilted her face up to the sun. She hadn't been outside in nearly a week, except on her balcony, which usually was in the shade anyway.

"So you're the only girl at home?" Ethan asked abruptly.

"Yup. Well, besides my mom. She's a teacher."

"How many brothers do you have?"

"Four. Zach and Jack are twins. They're twenty three. Zach's getting his medical degree, and Jack's getting his engineering degree, like my dad. Then there's Noel, he's twenty two, and he never stops cracking jokes. He's in college, but he doesn't know what he wants to do. Theo is twenty, and he wants to become a lawyer. He's the youngest brother, but he's still older than me. He's the most mature, though. It's pretty funny."

"So you're nineteen?"  
"Proudly." Amelia said playfully, the breeze lifting her hair off her neck. They approached the archery range. Ethan showed her how to load a bow, and then helped her load her own. He fired at the target, and hit pretty close to the bulls eye. Amelia tried, but completely missed the target.

"Guess I was never meant to be a foot soldier." She joked, lowering the crossbow.

"Try again. I'll help you." Ethan said, his tone more relaxed than before. He stepped behind her, setting his arms lightly on hers, and helping her position her hands. His chest was pressed against her back, and she could feel his heart beat accelerate. "Got it?"

"Uh-huh. Just let go?" Amelia asked, her voice shaking slightly at his nearness.

"Aim at the target. Look down the arrow. Can you see it?"

"I think so." Amelia felt a flush creep up her neck. Ethan had seemed to relax more, and he didn't seem to be trying to be romantic or anything. He treated her like he would a sister or a friend, but still, she couldn't help it. She released the arrow, barely hitting the edge of the target.

"That's better, but really focus on the target." He handed her another arrow, and she strung it, not missing the boyish smile on his face as he guided her arms into position. Amelia pulled back until the string was taut, and aimed. With Ethan's hands just over hers, she couldn't help the butterflies in her stomach. It was just like a romance novel. She fired the bow, and got just on the outside of the center of the target.

"This isn't so hard!" She said, lowering the bow, and looking up at Ethan. As soon as he made eye contact, he stepped back, ears flaming red. Amelia couldn't help but feel disappointed. She set down the bow, wishing that wouldn't have been so awkward.

"So…you said in your note you wanted to talk to me." Amelia recalled, sitting on a nearby bench.

"Oh, yeah. It's about Erin. I figured since you guys knew each other before she moved, you'd be a good person to talk to about her."

"Even though I'm at the bottom of the polls?"

"What polls?" He turned to her.

Amelia tucked a stand of windblown hair out of her eyes. "Well, Erin gave me this magazine where they polled people on who to win the Selection, and I was at the bottom. I was pretty surprised you asked me out at all, to be honest."

"Let's just say I don't always agree with the people of Illea, then. You said Erin gave it to you?"

"Oh. Um, yeah. I don't think it was meant to be a present though. She was kind of a jerk about it. But how did your date go?" Amelia tried not to defame Erin too much. It wasn't her place.

"Well….it was interesting, to say the least. I'm surprised Sophia let her out with that dress on though."

"Erin wouldn't really obey her anyway." Amelia admitted. "She's pretty stubborn."

"She said you were too."

"I guess our friendship wasn't meant to be then. We fought a lot. She always said she was second to everything in my life. To my writing, to my boyfriend, everything. I tried to apologize to her about the thing on camera, but I don't know if she even read my note."

"She didn't mention it." Ethan looked uncomfortable. "In fact, after about five minutes, she didn't want to talk much anymore."

"Oh no. Did she try to kiss you?"

"She tried. I just left after that. Do you think I should eliminate her?"

The question caught Amelia off guard. Sure, her problems would go away, but did Erin really deserve that? After all, Amelia had said some pretty mean things. "Not unless you want to. It's not my place to tell you what to do." She said after a moment. "Now I wanna try to shoot that thing again." She motioned to the bow. "I will hit the bulls eye if it's that last thing I do!"

…

**Okay, so I had to do some serious thinking during school when class was too boring, and I planned out the next nine-ish chapters. After re-reading the book, I realized Maxon dated all the girls at least once for their interviews on the second Report, so the next figurative week will just be dates. I know, it gets boring, sorry! To look forward to and to motivate you to review more, next will be Sirena's date, then Michaela, then Mackenzie, then Nat, and then Adele, and then the Report, and some more stuff. I will write subsequent dates in the future, but only for good reasons, like Lissa's birthday, coming up soon! That's all for now! Let me know what you think of Amelia, and the rest of the story!**

**REVIEW!**

**-Shades **


End file.
